(D Nagarjuna)
When a political leader is arrested on proven charges, why should there be a hue and cry.? People seem to have normalised corruption saying that it is not such a serious issue as to push their leader into jail.
Just imagine all those unsung people who have spent or currently languishing in jails on proven or yet-to-be-proven charges. For those people, not a crow will weep. Look at the arrest of Chandrababu Naidu. Any protest is an indirect insult to the judicial pronouncement. Why should emotions overtake when a political leader gets arrested, that too on various charges like corruption, as in this case?
Then let there be a law passed in Parliament that so and so politicians who have put in so much public service for over two decades be exempted from any arrest even after conviction on proven charges. Let that be an election issue also. Is it not insulting for Dr. K. Laxman of BJP to protest against the arrest of CBN when his party plays the slogan of “na khaunga aur na khaane doonga.”?
This has happened to other leaders like Jayalalithaa, and Laloo Yadav to cite a few instances. Doing public service without corruption is one thing and doing the same with corruption is different. We cannot mix the two. When people condone blatant corruption of their leaders, the fault is with the former and it also sends a signal that they too are corrupt and hence don’t mind corruption in the process.
The same applies to future arrests like Kavita or Gadkari or any politician for that sake or for that matter any current CM too. Secondly, Minister Roja bursting crackers and distributing sweets is another mindset that reflects some kind of sadistic pleasure. Such acts are inexcusable. People protesting against the arrest are equally culpable as those celebrating the same. When the law is doing its duty, the onus is on the convicted to approach higher courts and get out of the legal wrangle. Hours and years are the difference between high-profile cases and common man’s cases respectively.
Crores and thousands of rupees are at stake for the richest and the poorest respectively. Now, when someone is driven to the corner, the best way he wriggles out is to resort to whataboutery. In other words in legal parlance, precedents. Because someone in some other case identical to this has been given a concession of house arrest, providing the same to my client also is the order of the day.
Further, we should either criticize or appreciate the contents of the judgment without passing words of praise or bitter comments on the judge. Yes, after following the complete proceedings of the case, if people feel convinced that the judgment is flawed, then they too can file a PIL, if rules permit. If they feel that the judgment is fair and objective, no need to shower encomiums on the judge as he/she has done his/her duty with a judicial conscience.
Tomorrow, when he is granted bail by higher courts, celebratory rallies are akin to what Roja has done yesterday. When arrested or released, can’t people keep calm to prove that the law takes its course and is respected without resorting to either of the two.?
