Justice delayed is denied; Justice impaled?

It has been a while since I wrote a politically flavoured commentary on my blog. But the events that have unfolded over the past few days are compelling me to voice my two-bit...albeit in hushed tones, lest the Supreme Court takes suo moto cognisance of this 'misuse' of freedom of expression in the World's Largest Democracy and has me jailed. 

Far fetched thought, yes, but when a 19 year old can be held liable for 'defaming' a whole political party (that mind you, has the clout to affect the Bombay riots of 1993, raise unconstitutional demands such as ouster of North Indians from Maharashtra - Bal Thackeray had been-there-done-that long before Raj took up the cudgels, and still be allowed to contest elections, win and hold seats of power!), you really have to wonder about the complete loss of the principles of Natural Justice at our country's apex court!

And then of course, you wonder at the 'Justice' meted out in another part of the country to scamster Sukh Ram, who had his cake, ate it, digested it despite all the 'heart ailment' medication he was on, and perhaps even expelled the whole drama of 'arrest me-hospitalise me' from his system...since he will now get away with a mere 3 year sentence, brought to him after 14 long years, and a meagre fine of Rs 2 lacs. Of course, the court has confiscated the 4.25 crores that were recovered from him, not acknowledging that in his enviable position as one of the 'stalwarts' of the Himachal polity, he may just have made double the amount by now.

You let the man walk free for 14 years only to award him a 3 year sentence...How ludicrous is that!!! He will contest this sentence and walk free for another 14 years before he exhausts all his redressal avenues (assuming they will uphold the lower court's sentence) up to the Supreme Court and we know what the apex court is dispensing these days in the name of justice!

Moving on to Pune, the latest buzz is that the known to be honest and straight Commissioner of Police will soon be transferred. With elections round the corner, some folks don't want him hanging around... A letter has been written to the Election Commissioner to stop this monstrosity, but what he will actually do is anybody's guess. After the open spat with his predecessor (who accused him of preferential treatment towards the Congress party), one has been left wondering if he deserved the clean chit he received from the President of India (who we might recall is a Congress government nominee).

In the face of such open conspiracies by those in 'power' to subvert or in some cases even impale justice, do you as an Indian feel that things are hopeless? 

That every five years we will elect a government that will turn around and hold the muzzle towards us. 

That we are destined to never break out of this cycle of lies and deceit by our so-called political leaders; and that we are condemned to 'endure' them because we 'choose' them.

That one day a Mayawati will become PM riding the 'Dalit' wave, leaving all of us, who have NEVER even sub consciously or consciously ever harboured ill feeling towards a fellow Indian, feeling like utter fools. 

That the Hindutva, or Garibi Hatao, or the Maratha Manoos tirade etc are all manifestations of the same disease, bad polity?

That somewhere we KNOW we can break this chakravyuha, vote for a candidate who will bring some semblance of quality to the political scene but don't want to vote for them because we are afraid (a known devil is better than an unknown one)

That we are condemned to remain puppets in the hands of such ruthless manipulators (who ensure that all the high seats of office are taken by their 'own' people) until..either they die or we do.. (Its anybody's guess who will conk off first! Simply because your damn ambulance will never reach the hospital in time considering the mis-managed traffic in all our cities, while you-know-who will be air lifted in an Air Force copter straight to the hospital!)

Yes. I sound disgruntled and unhappy. Ashamed even. And certainly helpless. Am I alone?