Political heft trumps justice today; sidestepping law becoming a norm
Anand Mohan Singh set free; wrestlers versus Brij Bhushan Singh; Bilkis Bano’s rapists get remission – these are just a few of the prominent cases in recent times where political considerations seem to have trumped the cause of justice. In these cases, either the rules were changed, or the judicial process was delayed by various means, or the rules were applied selectively. And all this was done ostensibly to influence a set of voters who were likely to favour these steps.
Eye on the votes
For example, Anand Mohan Singh, former MP convicted for the murder of Gopalganj District Magistrate G Krishnaiah, who walked free on Thursday after being released by the Bihar government, is said to be an influential Rajput leader.
Also read: Anand Mohan Singh release will dent Nitish Kumar’s political standing
Similarly, Brij Bhushan Singh, BJP MP from Kaiserganj in Uttar Pradesh and Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) chief, continues to remain in position despite serious sexual harassment charges because he wields considerable clout in the Ayodhya-Shravasti-Gonda belt of Uttar Pradesh.
On the other hand, setting free of Bilkis Bano’s rapists in August was widely seen as an affirmative nod to Hindutva politics in Gujarat before the assembly elections were to be held in the state in December.
Tweaking the manual
Anand Mohan Singh’s release followed an amendment in a clause in the state prison manual by the Bihar government. On April 24, the Bihar law department issued a notification for the release 27 prisoners citing the Bihar state sentence remission council meeting on April 20, where a decision was taken for the release of prisoners having served actual sentence of 14 years or sentence of 20 years with remission.
This change was enough for Singh, known as a ‘bahubali’ leader in Bihar politics, to walk free. His release has led to the speculation that the decision was taken in a bid to woo Rajput voters. Singh, who it is being said will go to with the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), too added gist to the rumours by signalling that he will return to active politics.
Many reports suggest that RJD was looking for an influential Rajput leader following the deaths of Raghuvansh Prasad Singh and Narendra Singh, and Anand Mohan Singh fits the bill. Moreover, Singh’s son Chetan is an RJD MLA.
Action delayed
On the other hand, Brij Bhushan Singh has refused to step down from the WFI despite prominent wrestlers protesting on the streets levelling serious sexual harassment charges against him. To make the issue murky, the police has not even registered an FIR on the charges, one of the demands that top Indian international wrestlers like Bajrang Punia, Sakshi Malik, Vinesh Phogat and Geeta Phogat have been making.
Also read: Wrestlers’ protest: Delhi Police tell SC FIR will be registered against WFI chief
Also, the silence of the government in face of these wrestlers coming on streets to protest for the second time this year, is deafening. In January, three months ago, the government had formed a six-member panel to investigate into the sexual harassment and intimidation allegations against Singh. The panel submitted its report earlier this month on April 5 but the government has not made it public, saying it is still under examination.
Clearly, the BJP does not want to lose Singh’s influence in Uttar Pradesh, a state which returns maximum number of MPs to the Lok Sabha and is crucial to the saffron party’s fortunes in 2024 general elections. Hence, the pressure on the police to delay registering an FIR against Singh and keeping the report panel report under wraps.
Singh, six-time Lok Sabha MP, was said to be close to VHP chief Ashok Singhal and has been with the BJP for most of its political career since 1991, except for before 2009 general elections when he joined the Samajwadi Party to win the election that year. He returned to the BJP before 2014 elections.
A nod to majoritarianism
The release of eleven of Bilkis Bano’s rapists on August 15, 2022, by the Gujarat government shocked the nation. More so, as on that day, Prime Minister Narendra Modi – whose home state is Gujarat – during his Independence Day speech from the ramparts of the Red Fort asked the people to respect women.
State officials had then said that a government panel had approved the application for remission as the convicted men had spent more than 14 years in jail, were advanced in age and had shown good behaviour in prison. Later, in October, the state government told the Supreme Court that the men were released after an approval was granted by Amit Shah-led Union home ministry in July.
As many reports pointed out, the approval had come despite opposition from a court and prosecutors who had said the convicts should not be released prematurely and no leniency may be shown to them as their crime was “heinous, grave and serious”.
Also read: SC to Gujarat govt: Today it is Bilkis Bano, tomorrow it can be you or me
What happened after the release was what shocked the people and what clearly showed why the convicts were set free. The convicts were garlanded and given a heroes’ welcome when they returned to their village. Another viral video showed the men lined up outside the Godhra jail while relatives gave them sweets and touched their feet to show respect. Later, one of the released convicts was seen on the stage with a BJP leader during assembly election campaigning.
Clearly, the chasm that has developed in Gujarat between the two main religious communities over the years needed to be accentuated as that has become an important factor in deciding political fortunes in a state which is known as the laboratory of Hindutva politics.
In today’s highly divisive political landscape of the country, parties see no reason to be coy about aligning with the man, or men, in the dock as long as that brings dividends at the hustings. And, the fact that more often than not these parties read the pulse of the electorate quite accurately is what should be a cause of concern for all.
