Click to play videoThe controversy surrounding murder convict Manu Sharma's parole ended with his dramatic surrender on Tuesday. The 34-year-old businessman, who is convicted of murdering former model Jessica Lal, was granted a two-month parole on September 22 on the grounds that his mother was seriously ill. However, Manu and his friends were found partying and allegedly misbehaving with girls at clubs in the Capital.
Manu's misuse of his parole has reopened the debate over whether the rich and powerful can fool the system and get away with violating laws. The question that was being asked on CNN-IBN's Face The Nation was: Manu Sharma case: Are India's rich accountable to no one?
To try and answer the question on the panel of experts were: Chairman London Institute of Corporate Training, Alyque Padamsee; lawyer Rebecca John, former joint commissioner of police Delhi, Maxwell Pereira and Managing Partner Counselage Suhel Seth.
At the start of the show, 72 per cent of those who voted in said yes, India's rich aren't accountable to anyone while 28 per cent disagreed.
Parole Politics
Opening the debate, Rebecca John said it is not true that the rich and influential people always get away with violating laws. She held the administration responsible for Manu Sharma's parole fiasco.
"The administration should have done a stringent verification of the grounds which were placed in the record for parole. The verification obviously did not take place and clearly Manu Sharma got away with it," Rebecca said.
However, she agreed that in matters of parole the vast majority of people who are poor and are languishing in Indian jails do not get the benefit of the parole.
"Although their (poor) applications are pending for months the administration rarely accepts them sympathetically or compassionately. However, if you are rich and powerful it is easier for you to get it," Rebecca said.
Seconding Rebecca's opinion, Maxwell Pereira said it is because of their reach and contacts that the rich get paroles and easy legal aid.
"Money can buy anything in this country," he said.
India's Uncivilised Rich
Joining the debate, Suhel Seth said power works in different ways. Citing the case of Manu Sharma, he said it was because Delhi Police Commissioner YS Dadwal's son complained about Manu that the police took action against him.
"It is not only about being rich but it is also about who you know and how well you know them," he said.
"This country is now being run on a connection basis rather than on a justice system," Seth emphasised.
Alyque Padamsee agreed with Seth and said that apart from being rich it is important to have connections.
"Money can buy political connections for you and it is the politically connected people who can pull strings. They can also hire the best lawyers who somehow get them out of all the legal troubles," he said.
Padamsee also pointed out that such cases are not just common in India but across the world.
Seth said the denominators of success have changed in the country.
"The stature of a person is determined with the number of security guards and the red lights one has on his car," he said.
"Sadly, in India the new rich have become the most dangerous people in the country. They subvert justice, constitutional proprietary and set the wrong example for the society," Seth emphasised.
Police And The Rich
Rebecca partially disagreed with Seth and Padamsee and said it is true that the rich can hire the best lawyer to defend them but if the police investigate the case fairly then the prosecutor can win.
"The police should investigate the case fairly and place the evidence before the court of law and ensure that the man is prosecuted in the best possible manner. It is because the police fail to do so that the people are discharged from the case," she said.
"It is not fair to say that because the rich can hire the best of lawyers that they get out of these difficult situations," Rebecca added.
Reacting to this, Pereira said it is wrong to say that investigation is everything in a case.
He added that many a times the chargesheet is filed by the police within few days of the crime but the case is dragged in the court for years.
Seth, however, held the administration responsible for all such delays and said, "If the system is corrupt and manipulative everyone will manipulate it."
Concluding the debate, Padamsee said it is unfair to only point out the new rich of the society because the old rich families also leave no stone unturned to use their power and connections.
Results of the SMS/web poll:
Yes: 74 per cent
No: 26 per cent
(For updates you can share with your friends, follow IBNLive on Facebook, Twitter and Google+)
 |
|
 |
 |
 |
|
displayed with permission. Use of the CNN name and/or logo on or as part of CNN-IBN does not derogate from the intellectual property rights of Cable News Network in respect of them.