Sir — Apparently it is a period of ‘legal reversals’, with landmark judgements, that could well be acclaimed for boldness being kept aside for favourable rulings by higher courts. This has allowed the accused to mock at a system that is more intent on catering to the VIP-culture than proceed according to the merits of a case.
If Justice DW Deshpande had the sagacity to hold matinee idol Salman Khan guilty of all charges in the 2002 hit-and-run case and sentence him to five years in jail, the bail granted to the Bollywood star after the Bombay High Court suspended the Sessions Court’s ruling, gives the impression that the privileged can avoid jail with the best legal aid money can buy.
And now with Ms J Jayalalithaa, the AIADMK supremo, walking free because of a HIgh Court verdict, after being convicted on charges of amassing assets disproportionate to her known sources of income, the feeling that the powerful can contrive to stay out of jail in India, has gained even more ground.