As a modern nation, we are far behind when the credibility of the judiciary and the common sense of those appointed to preserve it are lost. The Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, who asked the accused in the POSCO case whether he could marry the abused girl, is questioning the logic of our legal system. We can only bow our heads in shame when we consider the fact that the senior most person in the legal system of a country would dare to ask such a question.
The question was raised by the Chief Justice while examining an appeal filed in the Supreme Court against the High Court’s order quashing the anticipatory bail granted to a government employee who is the accused in the POSCO case by a Sessions Court. Naturally, those who hear this question may wonder whether the Chief Justice has taken up the job of a broker too.
According to media reports, the Chief Justice said during the trial that the problem would be lessened if he was ready to marry the victim, or else he would have to suffer a lot. If he marries a woman after raping her, will the crime be eliminated? On what basis did the Chief Justice of the India ask the accused to marry the girl? According to the logic of the Chief Justice, if the murderer can take care of the relatives of the murdered person, the sentence can be commuted!
We have seen how quickly the Supreme Court has granted bail to Arnab Goswami, the head of Reporter TV, to save some of the ‘privileged’ people who are clinging to their positions of power. It was a bounty for someone who enjoys certain privileges. At the same time, the Chief Justice has said that marrying a minor victim of rape to the accused who does not claim any such privilege is a reflection of his distorted attitude. If the apostle of the Supreme Court thinks that rape is the worst crime after murder, then it is self-deprecating what kind of country we live in.
Such judges are insulting our justice system in every sense. It is not surprising that primitive judgments are commonplace when the judiciary falls into the hands of individuals with extreme misogyny and feudal demeanour.
