spares no one?
Do you think conviction of the Chautalas in the recruitment scam sends out the message that the law does work and spares no one? CNN-IBN's Senior Editor Jyoti Kamal joined IBNLive readers for an interaction on the issue.
Q. If they are convicted, will they be still able to contest elections. If the answer is yes, then they could come to power and scuttle the case all over again. Your views pl. Asked by: Narayan
A. The election commission has asked for immediate change in laws to debar convicted politicians from contesting elections. that has not yet been enforced. Till it is, he can contest again and yes you are right ...the system can be infected again, and often is.
Q. But will he get sentenced. and if at all he gets sentenced, what if he moves to higher court? Asked by: Amit
A. Of course he will be sentenced. Likely to happen on jan 22. and yes he can move a higher court...and after that the SC. the system is such that it allows you ample opportunity to seek redressal from higher authorities. his son Abhay Chautala in Chandigarh today said lower courts often pass sentences that are overturned by higher courts...so yes the Chautalas are hoping for relief from a higher court but will that happen? that's for the courts to decide.
Q. If the accused was a Cong man the outcome of CBI investigation could be different Don't you remember bofors case and Quattrochi. Asked by: srinivass
A. The tragedy or travesty of the issue is that while it may be possible, it is difficult to prove and establish. Everyone knows, in a way, but when it comes to processing in the system, it is unable to pass because of legal requirements. how do you watch the watchdogs, how do you investigate those supposed to investigate? is it an endless reflection of each other in mirrors? our culture is not much of a debating and thinking culture. if we figure out how to engage in debate more and get those results translated into legislation, there can be progress.
Q. Surely, we would like to believe so. Judiciary and Army are two places in India which are the least corrupt. Asked by: Monica Paul
A. All organisations are staffed by people, and people are prone to vices. one can never say with surety that these institutions are totally clean. but yes one would like to believe that they are relatively cleaner. But calls for reforms are there in both the judiciary and the armed forces and these calls have come about because there has been a creeping feeling that things are not all alright.
Q. Who does this benefit politically?..how much of influence do the Chautalas still have or are they a spent force? Asked by: JK
A. The congress has been plagued by corruption scams in land deals in Haryana. They have been in power two times. Anti incumbency is at work and INLD and Chautalas were banking on that with this conviction, they have been dealt a body blow. In a state where the two major parties are the congress and the INLD, the Chautalas are not a spent force, but there is widespread fear of them due to past history.
Q. Can they move to higher court? Also, what is the maximum punishment they can get? Asked by: Sanjeev
A. Yes they can. punishment can vary. if less than three years, they can get immediate bail. However, it is the court's discretion.
Q. Sir, as you would have seen, the young Indians protested so much for a rape in Delhi, shouldn't we protest and ensure that law is changed so that no convicts can contest elections. Asked by: Manjeet
A. But of course. in a democracy, we the people are the ultimate rulers. it is demos-cracy...rule by the masses. so if the masses want change, it has to be brought about. however, in a democracy the one with 51 per cent votes gets elected...and the remaining 49 per cent become voiceless...that is the root cause of the problem. and with coalition politics even lesser vote shares can propel you to power. increasing education and awareness of rights will gradually bring change.
Q. Sir, though it is a welcome news that the law has not spared the Chautalas, don't you think that the problem phenomenal delay in delivering the justice should be addressed to find out the solution to this issue? Asked by: Shyam Vadalker
A. India needs 75000 additional judges by 2030. unless we have more judges, more courts and a push for time bound and speedy trials, justice for the commoner is likely to be delayed.
Q. This is good omen which must come frequently Again conviction must come for CWG, 2G, coalgate, Mining scam etc. And these big fishes must be put behind bars. Asked by: Prathap
A. Yes, the message should be clear. laws have been laid down. you violate them. you get punished. for sure. but sadly this message has often got diluted and confused. this is a great move and should perhaps strengthen peoples' belief in the system.
Q. CBI has dome an indepth investigation only because there is a cong Govt at the centre and the state, otherwise it will make intentional lapses if the accused was a Congress man. Asked by: srinivass
A. Chautalas son in Chandigarh today hinted that the CBI is a congress extension. once again, the question is how do we ensure independence of our top and premier agencies? how do we make them autonomous? unless we can find out how to make these agencies independent of political interference these allegations will remain.
Q. Do you think there is Larger role for the Media to Play and there is larger role for the Government to support and give more freedom to the Media Asked by: sumeer
A. The media is increasingly playing a larger role. Not because the media can decide what it wants to do, but because YOU the people are wanting US in the media to do more. Without YOU, the media is powerless. We have no special powers given to us. We operate with the trust the public reposes in us to carry out investigations and reveal scams. As YOU the people are becoming more demanding, WE the media are becoming more responsive.
Q. Which party will likely to gain if INLD is in trouble? is it congress or HJC? Asked by: avishek
A. For now, the Congress. INLD had launched major campaign against the Congress over allegations of corruption in land deals. That campaign could now get a bit blunted. the 2014 assembly polls would be crucial for the Congress. Will it be back a third time?
Q. Given the present scenario can the congress win for the third time? Asked by: Preeti
A. Possible. The INLD has past baggage it needs to get rid of. With this conviction of Chautala by a Delhi Court, that would be more difficult now. The HJC is not yet a strong unified force, the BJP in Haryana is still to be counted as a worthy foe. So for now, in the short term, it is advantage Congress.
Q. Accept and really welcome this. but dont u think it may be a counter reaction after, i hope if i am not wrong, it has come after chautala questioned the acquisation of land by vadra. i still say i am not sure if he questioned but i remember something similar incidence occurred few months back where he questioned something! Asked by: pc
A. Yes, he did. The INLD and the Chautalas pounced on the Vadra DLF land deal and other land deals in the periphery saying there has been major corruption. And of course, the Congress government in Haryana is still trying to explain away those charges and it has not been able to do so convincingly. But this cant really be a tit for tat since the case has been on since almost 2003 when it first came to light in the Supreme Court. Charges were framed in 2008. Someday the case had to see a closure, it happened to be now. And if the Chautalas have been found to be guilty by the court, well then that is an order that needs to be respected and accepted. 55 persons have been convicted including two IAS officers.
Q. Indian Govt will sanction more minsters but will no sanction mare judges and courts as early disposal of cases will hurt the politicians most. Asked by: srinivass
A. Public anger is making the government more responsive. you saw it in the gangrape incident. the government is not the lord and master of India. it is WE the people. the day we stop believing IAS, IPS officers are Gods, ministers are Gods, politicians are Gods, the day we start believing that they are merely our representatives paid salaries through our taxes and supposed to be responsive to our needs, change can be brought about. and it is happening. slowly but surely, people are demanding change.
Q. Chautala was seen in Modi's oath taking ceremony. As a result, there were speculations of a pre-poll alliance between BJP and INLD ahead of general elections-2014. does BJP still wants to go with Chautala after court's verdict? Can BJP make its mark in corruption rampant state with or without the help of Haryana Janhit Congress (HJC) general elections-2014? What is the position of hjc is state as of now? Asked by: sumit
A. Not very strong. it does not have a wide support base. but it is still worthy of being recognised as a political force in Haryana. and yes all three HJC, BJP, INLD are open to permutations and combinations. as 2014 elections draw nearer, one will see sharpening of alliances. INLD is close to sad in neighboring Punjab. sad is in alliance with the BJP. one cant rule out INLD and BJP as a force, but yes the BJP must worry about the spillover of negative perception from the INLD.
Q. What is your opinion of Subjectivity of Government in dealing with corruption cases. They acted very fast on Political+Useless rivals like Chautala and Kiran Reddy and go soft on SP and BSP. Dont you think that Government should be atleast honest in dealing with Corrupt Politicians. Chautala and Reddy have committed crimes of extremely small proportions and they are treated as if they have deprived the country of its 150 years of coal and other natural reserves by doing Crony Capiltalism with corrupt business houses. Please give your honest and unbiased opinion. Asked by: Chinoo
A. I agree with you. the government should not only act swiftly in all such cases but also appear to be doing so. it is important not just to be fair, but appear to be fair. in many cases, the government may be fair, but does not APPEAR to be fair and that is something they need to work on and correct. if there are delays in a case, they should be explained. Transparency is the need of the hour.
Q. What will happen to the 3206 teachers appointed by Chautla & Co? Asked by: Vikas
A. The courts can set aside the entire selection.
Q. I think that law usually works normally if you don't have resources and/or are in opposition to the govt and/or, there are coming elections in the state. Don't you agree? We all know how CBI works (you just not be on the wrong side). Asked by: gaurav
A. Serious questions over independence of agencies have been raised. several moves have been initiated to make agencies more transparent and accountable. it is a work in progress. for now, one could argue, you may be right, but as is usually the case, these things are difficult to prove.
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