Underlining the long arm of the law : Exposing the Lalus and Masoods here
- Sangai Express Editorial :: October 03, 2013 -

The common thread that runs through is unmistakable.

From the three men committee headed by Retd Justice Santosh Hegde to probe six cases of alleged fake encounters in Manipur, to the ruling of the Supreme Court that any elected member of Parliament or State Assemblies should be immediately disqualified if he or she is convicted by a Court of the land, to the death sentence passed against the four convicts in the rape and murder of a young para-medic in Mumbai last year, to the Ordinance of the UPA Cabinet which sought to nullify the 'disqualify' ruling of the Supreme Court and the subsequent political dust it kicked up after Rahul Gandhi came out with his 'nonsense' stand on the Ordinance, to the conviction of the high profile Lalu Prasad Yadav to the imprisonment of Rasheed Masood to the None of the Above or NOTA directives to the Election Commission of India, the Judiciary is central to all these developments that have come to occupy prime space in the public domain.

An indication that an active Judiciary can go a long way in reversing the trend, a trend where the faith and confidence of the people in Government institutions have eroded to an alarming level.

A Lalu convicted and facing the prospect of spending at least 2 to 4 years in a case dating back to the early 90s perfectly fits in with the understanding of the 'Long Arm of Law.' A turn around from the 'Wrong Arm of Law', if one may add. Same is the case with Rajya Sabha MP, Rasheed Masood who will be behind bars for 4 years.

Obviously there will be rooms for the two convicts to appeal to a higher Court, for this is what democracy is all about, but a significant and powerful point has already been delivered.

And this is saying a lot, a lot in a country where history sheeters, criminals and thugs have been calling the shots and making their way to the august floor of Parliament and State Assemblies through sheer muscle and money power.

Call it a natural fall out or some sort of a cascading effect and it is interesting to note comments and questions raised by certain section of the people of Manipur on whether one will see cases similar to what has befallen a Lalu or a Masood here.

Hard to say, for this is purely a speculative question but it should not be lost on anyone that justice or the long arm of the law cuts across boundaries.

A comforting thought, but the very fact that such a question, however speculative, has been raised should be enough reason to study how many Lalus or Masoods might be here in Manipur.

For the records the recent past does not inspire much confidence.

No one, not the Government and even the media in Manipur have taken any reports of the Comptroller and Auditor General with the seriousness it deserves.

Remember it was the report of the CAG which proved to be the first nail on the political coffin of Lalu Prasad Yadav.

Many PILs have fallen by the wayside and for all practical purposes, those in the corridors of power have always found a way to beat the provisions provided under the Right to Information Act.

The reports carried in the State media in recent times should testify this.

For the Lalus and the Masoods to be nailed in Manipur, there is the strong need to break the unholy nexus that exists between the political leaders, the white collared officials and the contractors/suppliers.

This is where political will is needed coupled with an informed people piling on the needed pressure. That corruption is pandemic in India is a given, a truism and Manipur is not an exception.

The first step towards exposing the Lalus and Masoods here would be to acknowledge this and proceed accordingly.