Today, the major problem for India is its law and order situation. No one is secure in the country so far one's life or property is concerned. Bihar and U.P. are the worst hit in this connection. There are a number of cases of theft, dacoity, rape, murders etc. However, the government puts the responsibility on the police, the police on the country's legal system, the courts give their verdict on the basis of the constitution and the process goes on without any positive result. If there is any major mishappening in the country and there is much uproar over it, the matter is tried to be hushed up by appointing a commission. And rarely has this commission come to any conclusion. Even if it does, many ifs and buts are put over the report, that it is found better to reject it for once and all.
What happened in the case of the Mumbai blasts in 1993, is open to all. The enquiry, and then the courts and after 13 years how many convicts have died, how many are awarded the benefit of doubt, and how many will be punished and how is a question to be considered. Take the case of the Parliament attack. One Mohammad Afzal Guru has been given the death sentence, but many groups and organisations, including the CM of J&K and the human rights organisations, have come to his support, pleading the President of India to show clemency to him and forgive him. There are a number of terrorist outfits in India and a huge number of anti-social elements. However, to give death sentence on one day and to condone it on the other, is just a mockery of our legal system. After all, it is the duty of the government to give securityto all the inhabitants of its land. Such policies of the governments are merely putting the masses at the mercy of the criminals and if saved, they are exploited by the defective legal system.
Today hardly anybody dares to help the police, the reason being that he who shows courage will be prosecuted to an extent if he were a criminal.We study a lot of the legal system in the past. There were then no such courts, no such lawyers, no expensive process, but the justice was provided speedily and justifiably. The Mauryan and the Gupta rulers are remembered today in history for their love for justice. Go through the reign of the Sultans of Delhi as well the Mughal rulers, and one's head is raised in pride of being an Indian. Similar was the case during the British rulers as well. There was hardly any criminal who dared to challenge thestrength of the then rulers. No doubt, there were revolts, but they were crushed immediately, and no one waited for the rebels to have tired and then surrender. The names of Ala-ud-Din Khalji, Balban and Sher Shah Sur were terror for the criminals. The time has come if the government of India wants to actstrongly and effectively, it will have to amend its legal structure. I remember the days of Emergency during 1975 to 1977. The period should be considered the golden phase so far the law and order in the country is concerned. We are being ruled by the rats, and the great philosopher, Voltaire, used to say, "I would prefer to be ruled by one lion rather than by one hundred rats." Hence pray for a strong government and the ethical politics, without which nothing positive is going to be possible.
