Tuesday, December 29, 2009

Judicial reforms are the need of the hour

The world is indeed a strange place... And why do I say that? Read on..


Mr Akmal Shaikh, a British national, accused of smuggling drugs into China has been executed in the far western Chinese region of Xinjiang. China has very strict laws on drugs and almost on every thing. There are 68 crimes in China that are punishable by death, including non-violent offences such as fraud, bribery and drugs charges.
In recent years, people in China have been executed for tax fraud, stealing VAT receipts, damaging electric power facilities, selling counterfeit medicine, embezzlement, accepting bribes and drugs offences. Statistics indicate that 5000 people were executed in China during the year 2009!!


In India on the other hand, molesting a girl isn't considered a big crime and the maximum punishment is 2 years!! Here, life imprisonment means 14 years... and if in the rarest of the rare cases if some one is awarded a death penalty... like in the case of Dhananjay Chatterjee... we have the human right activists out on the streets , protesting!!


We need Judicial Reforms and quick. Having a democratic country is a good thing but letting that democracy, that freedom, interfere with the judicial system... can do good to no one.


Whatever said and done, atleast now we know how and why China is way ahead of India :)

Monday, December 28, 2009

A citizen speaks


Crime No I - Ex DGP, SPS Rathore molests a 14 year old girl, harasses her family, throws her out of school, leads her to commit suicide, impedes the judicial process for 19 years.

The Penalty - A fine of Rs 1000 and 6 months imprisonment ( RI, if that makes it any better !!)


Crime No. II - Habib Hussain pays Rs 2 Lakhs to a dubious agent who promises him a job in UAE, he goes abroad only to find there are no jobs, he works as a cleaner for an airline company who impounds his passport, Working for 13 hours a day and getting paid peanuts, he hides in the toilet of the aircraft and comes back to India. ( The crime here is that, he didn't buy a ticket, and of course he left his passport back there !!)

Penalty - He could face up to 5 years in jail. (Under the Passport (Entry to India) Act)


As an Indian citizen I have tremendous faith in our judicial system but it starts weakening when criminals come out of the court with a smile on their face because of the sheer power of money and their clout. SPS Rathore was smiling as though mocking us and saying, " Ha, You have faith in THIS system?? The one which has let a molestor go scot free? " I felt ashamed at seeing him smile... ashamed that the Indian Judicial system had failed to deliver justice, yet again. He has been fined Rs 1000.. Is this the punishment for playing with a young girls psyche and forcing her to commit suicide?? Can any amount of fine compensate for the trauma that Ruchika and her family have gone through?? Is it safe for your sisters and daughters to have maniacs like him still out in the open??


Sometimes, staying quiet is a crime by itself and SPS Rathore we, the people of India have stayed quiet long enough. Not anymore... So get ready to pay for your sins. When Mr Habib Hussain faces 5 years in jail... there is no way that you should get away with anything less than life imprisonment.
We, the citizens of India, demand justice... not the kinds which will make a mockery of the system, set the accused free and punish the victim instead... If we want to advance as a nation, we must first ensure that our country is not a safe haven for criminals and politicians. We must ensure that there are no more cases like Ruchika or Jessica Lal. I still have faith in our system... Do You?