Incompetent cops, it’s a wake up call!

Barring a few deplorable instances, the Supreme Court has been more or less steady in carrying on the commendable task of judicial activism and expanding the scope of law and justice in the spirit of the Constitution. And the latest feather in the top court’s cap is the rap that it has given on the incompetent backs on inefficient investigating officers and public prosecutors, whose decreasing accountability had led to a number of unthinkable and false acquittals, leading to a miscarriage of justice. Now the SC ruling that cops and lawyers must face punishment if unscrupulous actions and deliberate lapses were found in their inquiry in cases involving serious offences, comes as a breath of relief. It has been observed by not just the SC but also by keen watchers of the social system in the media that more often than not, the heinous nexus between the police, bureaucrats and the culprits, mostly affluent and well-connected, becomes the reason why cases are terminated without proper probes, or, even worse, criminals roam free after the courts let them off because of lack of substantial evidence. Particularly, the cases under investigation by the CBI are the ones to watch out for, since mysterious acquittals and closures, as well as evidence vanishing into thin air are routine features of almost every high profile probe that the Bureau has been handling. No wonder, the Supreme Court’s earlier admonition, terming the CBI a ‘caged parrot’, comes to mind, which rings even more appropriate in the present context. As the bench of Justices CK Prasad and JS Khehar has opined, whether the lapse in the investigation and prosecution is innocent or culpable is a matter of further probe and is a must to bring in transparency and honesty in the dealings of the state apparatus and its crucial appendages, including the bodies responsible for law and order in the country.

At a time when politics has been redefined by a party of ordinary citizens winning constituencies in the assembly poll in the national capital, a strike has been made at the heart of the darkness that had engulfed our wounded nation. Hence, the SC order couldn’t have come at a more appropriate time, with anti-graft helplines being instituted in states, Delhi included, gradually. This is a remarkable development and taken together, is bound to improve efficiency and accountability in the public organisations. Given that chronic corruption has been chipping away at every cog in the wheel of the state government and its myriad institutions, a fixture to cure all the ailing parts needs to be found. Not only is this a step in the right direction, it is also an endeavour to stop culprits like the Jessica Lal killer Manu Sharma or smug ministers in the UPA government and its allies who get away by flexing powerful muscles, making a travesty of justice.