Dehradun residents are shocked and anguished over the vigilance department releasing the senior Government pleader who was caught accepting a bribe of Rs five lakh in new currency in the court campus, assuring one, accused of a forgery case, to wind up the case pending against him in the court. They said the incident needs to be condemned in the harshest terms against the backdrop of their reeling under the severe cash crunch, post the demonetisation drive. However, they hoped that the court taking cognisance of the case would do justice.
Aman Singh, a Dehradun resident, said that it was nothing sort of conniving with corruption on the part of the vigilance department to give in to the pressure put on it. “It is a common practice that some advocates run wild when any one of their fraternity is arrested. To capitulate before their pressure has set a very wrong precedent for the State. Besides, the lawyers supposed to protect the laws of the land being hell-bent on tweaking them are sending an ominous message as far as the sanctity of the legal system is concerned,” he said.
Rohan Bisht, resident of Raipur, said that it was unfortunate that a senior Government pleader, arrested while taking bribe of Rs five lakh in new currency, was later set free under pressure. “This is at a time when we are sweating in the winter to collect just Rs 2000 in new currency at the ATMs. Even the banks have restricted the withdrawal limit at Rs 10,000,” he said, adding that they were pinning hope on the court to do justice.
Observers say that the incident brings to the fore the fact that the police are trashing the directive of the State's director general of police MA Ganapathy who stresses on maintaining integrity along with professionalism in their functioning. “Indulging in highfalutin preaching would not do,” one of them said.
They also cite police department shifting the venue of their press conference on the arrest of the senior Government pleader from place to place in the wake of the advocates raising a hackle to pinpoint the fact that the police were on the retreat mode. As per the initial information, the press meet was to be held at the office of the SP City. later, the venue was changed to the office of the IG, Garhwal Range. Finally, however, the press meet was held at the SSP office.