On October 3, 1985 OJ Simpson was acquitted of the murders of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman. Here is a quiz on injustice.

1 In Indian mythology, which great warrior, till then neutral in the battle, almost jumped in to attack Bhima after he unfairly hit Duryodhana on the groin with his mace or ‘gada’ to finish their epic bout?

2 Which diwan and tax collector for the British was hanged on charges of fraud and corruption? The charges were put upon the diwan by Warren Hastings two years after he accused Hastings of stealing company funds. The judge, Elijah Impey, was a close friend of Hastings.

3 In 1973, an eminently forgettable film called Be-Imaan swept the Filmfare awards, winning seven of them, including those for the Best Picture and Best Actor. Why did Pran, who won the Best Supporting Actor award for the same film, refuse to go up and receive the statuette?

4 The 1994 Oscars ignored two of the most widely regarded films of recent times — Shawshank Redemption, which tops IMDb’s list of Top 250 movies, and cult favourite Pulp Fiction. Which film upset these favourites to win the Best Film and Best Actor Oscar?

5 What was significant about the non-awarding of the 1948 Nobel Peace Prize? The official statement said ‘there was no suitable living candidate’.

6 In which archetypal 19th-century tale would you read about the adventures of Edmond Dantes and his quest for justice after being betrayed by a junior officer and rival suitor?

7 The decision of the referee Renato Righetto to grant three seconds more during the basketball finals remains one of the most controversial decisions in Olympic history. Name the year and the two teams.

8 For which shocking non-call in the ’80s is Tunisian referee Ali Bin Nasser remembered, especially in the UK?

9 Which leading author investigated the ‘closed case’ of British-Indian lawyer George Edalji and proved his innocence after he had been unjustly tried and sentenced?

10 Which prolific American author founded the ‘Court of Last Resort’ where he and six other attorneys take on the cases of wrongly accused or unjustly convicted criminals?

Answers

1. Balarama. He was restrained by his brother Krishna, who reminded him of Duryodhana’s evil deeds

2. Maharaja Nandakumar

3. He was protesting Be-Imaan winning the award for the best film score over the sublime Pakeezah

4. Forrest Gump. Tom Hanks won again the next year for Philadelphia

5. The award was supposed to go to Mahatma Gandhi. He had been nominated for it at least four times before. After his assassination, the committee pondered over breaking the rule to give it to a posthumous candidate, but finally decided against giving the award that year

6. The Count of Monte Cristo, the name Edmond Dantes assumed in his journey of retribution

7. 1972; the US lost by a single point to the USSR. The Americans refused to accept their silver medals

8. He was the referee who allowed Maradona’s famous ‘Hand of God’ goal in the 1986 match between Argentina and England

9. Arthur Conan Doyle, the author of the Sherlock Holmes stories. As a result of his efforts, the first Court of Criminal Appeal was established in the UK in 1907

10. Erle Stanley Gardner, the author of the Perry Mason stories

Joy Bhattacharjyais a quizmaster and Project Director, FIFA U-17 World Cup

Follow Joy on Twitter @joybhattacharj

Related Topics
comment COMMENT NOW