New Delhi: Tamil politicians and political workers have given an entirely new meaning to the word 'sycophancy'. Tens of thousands of people fasting and holding dharnas against the conviction of former Tamil Nadu chief minister and AIADMK supremo J Jayalalithaa across the state has shocked the people who believe in judiciary and the rule of law. Soon after a special court in Bangalore sent Jayalalithaa to jail in a disproportionate assets case for four years, passions have been running high across Tamil Nadu.
A day after Jayalalithaa was sent to the Bangalore Central Prison to serve her sentence as a convict, Tamil Nadu erupted in protest. The AIADMK ministers and MLAs cried in public demanding that she be released on bail. They actually led the protest violating the sacred oath they have taken in the name of teh Constitution by openly demanding her release.
After two days, the Tamil film industry held a day long fast and cinema theatres were closed in protest against the sentencing of Jayalalithaa. Jaya fans even blocked traffic across Tamil Nadu demanding the immediate release of 'Puratchi Thalaivi' or 'revolutionary leader' or their dear 'Amma'.
The AIADMK-run city municipal corporations like Coimbatore and Chennai also openly joined the protest against her conviction. By taking the sycophancy to a new level, the AIADMK leaders even ate food served on the dirty floor at several places in Tamil Nadu in protest against Jaya's jailing.
What has shocked the public more is the sudden appearance of some posters in Chennai threatening to hold Kannadigas living in Tamil Nadu hostages, if Jayalalithaa is not released on bail from Bangalore jail. The posters were removed after police stepped in.
These developments have sent shockwaves across the judiciary as this kind of protest against conviction by a court amounts to contempt of the court and punishable under the law.
The protestors must understand that Karnataka has nothing to do with the conviction of Jayalalithaa or her case. She has been convicted for looting the public money in Tamil Nadu. The case was transferred to neighbouring Karnataka by the Supreme Court to ensure a fair trial. The Karnataka government had no role to play in this decision.
After the Supreme Court ordered it to set up a special court to try Jayalalithaa and others in the corruption case, the Karnataka government followed the SC guidelines and instructions. In his judgement, the judge of the special court in Bangalore, John Michael D Cunha, has ordered Jayalalithaa to pay Rs 4 crore to Karnataka, which it spent on the special court.
Except these things, Karnataka has nothing to do with the case. The matter is now between Jayalalithaa and the judiciary and not between Tamil Nadu and Karnataka. She is well within her rights to demand a transfer from Bangalore jail to a jail in Tamil Nadu. The Karnataka government, which is already finding it difficult to handle Jayalalithaa and her fans in Bangalore, will gladly agree to that.
The sycophantic Jayalalithaa fans must also understand that she is not in jail in a political case. She has been tried for over 16 years and the special court has convicted her after carefully going through all aspects of the case. She has the right to challenge her conviction in the Karnataka High Court and the Supreme Court. She will do that once she manages to get bail. Her fans must wait for the due legal procedures to take place, instead of protesting the jailing of their leader in this unconstitutional manner.
It may even turn things against her and she may not get bail for her partymen's and fans' illegal actions. The higher courts may not take these things lightly. Jaya fans have also set a very bad precedent. If every powerful convict's fans protest in the same way, it will lead to a total breakdown of Constitution and democracy in India.
Finally, Jayalalithaa and her fans must understand that, "Be you ever so high, the law is always above you." They are left with only one recourse, that is the legal recourse.
Comments
0 comment