If you thought Indian democracy was in safe hands, think again. The past few weeks have been a stunning display of how constitutional bodies protect their own while making a mockery of the system they are meant to uphold. At the centre of it all: the curious case of the ‘burning currency notes’ at the residence of a Delhi High Court judge, Justice Yashwant Verma, and the subsequent judicial and political acrobatics that followed.
Let’s start with the Rajya Sabha Chairman, Jagdeep Dhankar. After meeting both the Opposition leader, Mallikarjun Kharge, and the ruling BJP’s Rajya Sabha chief, JP Nadda, the Chairman conveniently decided to drop any discussion of impeachment against the accused judge. Now, why would he do that? If this is not a classic case of institutional connivance to sweep corruption under the rug, then what else could it be? Perhaps a new method of ‘conflict resolution’—where all sides agree to turn a blind eye and move on?
Then there’s the Supreme Court Collegium’s handling of Justice Verma. Instead of taking a firm stance against alleged corruption, they decided to stick to their tried and tested method—transferring the accused judge to another court. Problem solved, right? If merely shifting a judge to another jurisdiction is their version of accountability, then we might as well start a judicial tourism program where judges facing scrutiny get a free trip to a new High Court, with the promise of business as usual.
Meanwhile, the Allahabad High Court Bar Association continues to protest the transfer decision. But who’s listening? Certainly not the Modi government, which has conveniently chosen to look the other way. After all, why disrupt a well-oiled machine that ensures mutual protection among the branches of power?
The message is loud and clear—constitutional bodies in India aren’t there to deliver justice; they exist to protect their own. The irony would be hilarious if it weren’t so terrifying.
And let’s not forget the pièce de resistance—the mysterious ‘notes burning’ incident at a Delhi High Court judge’s residence. A shocking video of stacks of currency consumed by flames went viral, raising serious questions about corruption at the highest levels. Five days after the incident, the Supreme Court Collegium chose to upload the video to its official website. Yet, instead of taking action, it merely transferred Justice Verma back to the Allahabad High Court. If that delay wasn’t suspicious enough, now reports circulating on social media claim the entire ‘notes burning’ episode was just an AI-generated hoax. Seriously? Is this the new defence strategy—blame artificial intelligence for real-life corruption? If so, perhaps we should start using AI to generate fake transparency reports and call it governance.
The Modi government might take pride in ‘unfolding’ the blindfolded statue of justice, but what good is an open-eyed Lady Justice if she refuses to see the corruption right in front of her? This brings us to the larger question: what message is being sent to the people of India? That justice is merely a game of political convenience? That if you hold a high enough office, your sins will simply be relocated rather than punished?
As a professional journalist, I can’t help but feel disappointed. The evidence is out in the open, and yet, the institutions meant to uphold democracy are busy playing a well-rehearsed game of see-no-evil, hear-no-evil, speak-no-evil. But in this game, it’s not just democracy that suffers—it’s the trust of the people that burns, just like those stacks of cash.
