"Justice Delayed is Justice Denied..."

When William Gladstone came up with this quote in the 19th century, he obviously had very little knowledge of what would become the Democratic Republic of India. Well, the judicial system in India to be precise. So when I came across this quote, I felt, as every Indian would feel that justice is denied in every which way in this country. I am certain that most of us felt the same way when Sanjay Dutt walked into a special TADA court set up in a corner of Arthur Road Jail in Mumbai.

By bad luck or good judgment though, the actor who so famously portrayed the self righteous gangster - Munna Bhai was sentenced to a 6 year term in jail. People who said that the Indian Judiciary didn't have the bottle to sentence big names had to eat their words. Sanjay Dutt himself would have felt hard done by as he had already served a year and a half in jail.

Sanjay Dutt was erratic in his behaviour to buy 3 guns (or whatever the number) from underworld members. He was incredibly stupid to buy them at a time when the TADA Act was in force. He was ignorant of the fact that he was breaking the law and that has ultimately cost him 6 years of his life (in theory). The odds are now stacked against him and his legal team probably will have to do a lot of convincing to the Supreme Court for his bail.

As for PD Kode, the judge - he was incredibly strong and put his foot down in terms of this case. It was a remarkable display of bravery by the judge and in a case where there was so much scrutiny by the media and the public at large, his performance must be commended.

Laws are such that they can only judge people at the time they are committing the crime. In 1992, Sanjay Dutt committed a very big crime. His actions could have potentially lead to many people's killing. He had a rifle to "protect his family" - an explanation I don't understand. He had to be convicted. We live in India, where cases move incredibly slowly. So what if he has become a better person? Does that take away what he did 14 years ago? He was merely out on a technicality in any case.

Sanjay Dutt might be a great human being with good intentions. He is a good actor without a doubt. There are so many good people who do things against the law though. Do they get the media coverage and the pleas that this man gets? Do they get shown any sort of leniency?

The thing that lets me down is that people who have a portfolio in the cabinet have denounced this verdict and have said that he has suffered enough. Who are they to say this? I think the public will be happy if justice is served. If you commit a crime, you have to do the time.

So, I do hope that even if justice is delayed, it isn’t denied. I know that for now, in this case it has been delivered by and large. The scene may change very quickly and easily in 4 months time though. That's because this is India - justice is pretty much always delayed and as William Gladstone said - pretty much always denied.