Our legal system is lenient
and provides that no innocent should be punished.. many a times people are
acquitted for want of evidence… but when someone is sentenced to punishment –
it is after due process of law. Parole is a legal provisio – a provisional release
of a prisoner on stipulated conditions mostly on humanitarian considerations… and a
‘parole’ is making group of people agitate as they feel that it is VIP
treatment and not punishment that one is undergoing….. they demand that he
should be treated at par with prisoners and no rules should be flouted.
People cannot be faulted for
thinking that Cinema is only entertainment but one is unable to understand why
there is so much clamour on a sentence…… which every newspaper reported mildly,
talked of pardon, and top places came rushing to his defence…. My father taught me that one should never
exploit or enjoy the difficulty of others….and so parole also should not be
questioned generally… still !! - even
for those of us not closely following the Mumbai blasts and the conviction of a
person for illegal possession of an assault weapon, an AK-56 rifle, upheld by
the Supreme Court on the grounds that weapon was part of a larger consignment
that was to be used to carry out the
deadliest terrorist attacks on that country's financial capital. The convict had
also met, hugged and had phone conversations with the masterminds of this
terror conspiracy - yet powerful political and societal lobby sympathized
with, arguing that his punishment was too severe.
On 21 March 2013, Supreme
Court of India convicted Sunjay Dutt in the illegal possession of arms relating
to the 1993 Mumbai blasts case and sentenced him to 5 years imprisonment.
Earlier he had been sentenced to 6 years imprisonment by a TADA court. From that
time, prominent time in media was
devoted to discussions on the pardon to
Dutt and there was news that the Governor of Maharashtra set to consult on
pardon – voices of many top politicians also spoke on the favour…. One of the
outrageous reasons seeking pardon was that
he through film revived the memory of Mahatma Gandhi and the message of
Gandhiji, the father of the nation. The
Kalashnikov was not a toy and was not bought in any mall but came through underworld gangs and was linked
to the consignment of explosives used to perpetrate the Mumbai serial blasts,
though Dutt may not have known that !! yet Congress general secretary Digvijay
Singh supported the demand to pardon. The
support for Dutt coming from Congress surprised many as the Bollywood star had
campaigned for Samajwadi Party in the assembly.
Katju was another vociferous supporter of pardon.
One should never
peep into other private life… Dutt is also entitled to his… perhaps if that
serves as the reason for some amnesty or for tweaking rules. Now
comes the news that while RPI opposed the parole outright as favourite
treatment, Opposition parties in Maharashtra
have accused the State government of preferential treatment in granting a
one-month parole to Bollywood actor. The actor was granted parole on the
grounds that his wife Maanyata was unwell and needed to undergo surgery. This
is the second time in three months that the actor — who is the brother of
Congress MP Priya Dutt — has been granted leave from the Yerawada jail. In
October, he got a month’s leave on grounds of ill health.
Corruption is not only about breaking the rules: it is also about rejecting the human side,
embracing animal side ~ the other side is also preferential treatment for
somebody purely because he is famous or has more supporters in high
places. Riots occur, commoners suffer,
many are killed but despite enquiry commissions, people walk away free. Rapes take place but rapists are released on
technicalities. The rage of the common
man is understandable yet people like Anna protesting on Gandhian way are also
arrested sometimes. In Mahabaratha, in
the kingdom of Duryodhana
People are entitled to their
opinion but still… popularity or claim
to fame should seldom override punishment !
With regards – S. Sampathkumar .
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