Dinner with Sadanand Dhunne

Saturday, March 6

 

It was fascinating to have dinner with Sadanand Dhunne, an Indian-American free- lancer journalist who among other things, wrote a book entitled "My Friend the Fanatic" where he explores the theme of radical Islam in Indonesia.

 

What particularly drew my attention was the fact that India does not have a "First Amendment" in spite of hundreds of newspapers circulating such vast country. The lack of this amendment may give carte blanche to filing frivolous litigations alleging defamation. Sadanand also told us that, within the legal arena, it is not unheard of lawsuits to take as long as 20 years to be decided.

 

In sum, our encounter with Sadanand gave me the possibility to compare the legal systems between India and the US concerning media laws, which as a lawyer, I found very interesting.

Gabriela Wainschtok