In today’s blog entry, the former law minister related how his sister begged him to give up writing altogether and indulge in “safer” things like playing with his grandson.

“I told her that judges should be our last bastion of protection from tyranny. Judges are the special individuals who can dispense justice when politicians and the other stakeholders in the system have failed altogether.

“But when high-placed judges lose their capacity for compassion — in Indira’s case, to do what’s right and just for a mother — then we have a problem. The least we can do is to voice our concern.”

Zaid was referring to the Court of Appeal judges who denied M Indira Gandhi custody of her Muslim daughter, who had been unilaterally converted to Islam by her convert ex-husband without her knowledge or consent.

He said these judges were not only “heartless” but “hypersensitive” and had used the Sedition Act as protection for their hurt feelings after his accusations.

“See how arrogant these people have become — you cannot hurt them at all. But if we say and do nothing, more of these types will ascend to the highest levels of the judiciary and in future, our grandchildren will possibly face sedition charges for even more minor infractions.”

He said he wanted to dedicate his life to the betterment of the people of this country and that if he could achieve that goal through his writing, then that was precisely what he would do.

“…let’s not be cowed by these judges. They are like that because the people have given them too much latitude. They have rubbed shoulders with politicians and members of the royalty for far too long,” he said, adding that these judges were more excited about board appointments and titles rather than ruling with kindness and compassion.

“In the end, some of them have forgotten about little things such as kindness, compassion and the feelings of a mother.”