In the Supreme Court verdict in the disproportionate assets case, Justice Amitava Roy observed: “Both the corrupt and the corrupter are indictable and answerable to the society and the country as a whole.” The verdict is a clear warning to politicians and the top bureaucracy across the country (“SC verdict ends Sasikala bid to become CM”, Feb.15). This said, curbing corruption will remain a Utopian dream. Unless and until a bribe giver is also held culpable, one will only be chasing shadows. It is worth remembering what Alan Greenspan said about corruption: “Corruption, embezzlement, fraud, these are all characteristics which exist everywhere. It is regrettably the way human nature functions, whether we like it or not. What successful economies do is keep it to a minimum.”
R. Badrinarayanan,
Bengaluru
The adage, “As you sow, so you reap,” has come true in the case of V.K. Sasikala and her accomplices for laundering ill-gotten wealth without fear of the law. The bench of the Supreme Court upholding the lower court order as just and right proves that no one is above the law. One cannot erase evidence and suppress the facts because the truth will eventually surface one day. The “arrangements” that Ms. Sasikala has made to help her rule the State by remote control are jarring. It is clear that political uncertainty looms over the State and both factions of the AIADMK may not get the magic numbers needed.
K.R. Srinivasan,
Secunderabad
Those who have been found guilty were preening all these days and even thinking aloud that they would be let off scot free. Avaricious political leaders should now realise that one day or the other they will have to pay for their misdeeds. The historical, landmark judgment delivered by the Supreme Court will ever remain etched in the memory of one and all.
Mani Nataraajan,
Chennai
The historic judgment has come as a high voltage shock to those who were making a determined bid to capture power at any cost. That the verdict also means that Ms. Sasikala cannot contest elections for 10 years underlines the fact that her political career has ended even before it could take off. Perhaps until a week ago, she would have had little thought that there would be road bumps in her ascendancy to the throne. But the sudden twists and turns have put an end to the political circus in Tamil Nadu. Those who were arrogant and thought that they were beyond the pale of the law have been taught a lesson.
R. Sivakumar,
Chennai
Though I generally welcome the verdict, I feel that there is no reason to be ecstatic about it. This is not a judgment that will change the way politics is done in India nor will it make the politician-bureaucrat equation transparent. We find those who are corrupt still moving freely in the country on account of their unchecked money and muscle power.
B.S. Jayaraman Iyer,
Chennai
The judgment should now act as a deterrent to corrupt and greedy politicians who have scant regard for those they are supposed to serve. The judgment cannot be construed to be a final one, as the accused are bound to appeal against it and seek bail. With both O. Panneerselvam and Edapadi K. Palanisami in the fray to stake claim to power, the AIADMK may also see a vertical split. Tamil Nadu stares at an uncertain future.
M.Y. Shariff,
Chennai
Does a person who is convicted hold authority to appoint his/her political successor (“Palaniswami stakes claim to form govt.” Feb.15)? Is such an appointment legal and valid? Can the Governor accept the claim by such an appointee? These are some questions to be answered before the Governor makes a decision on whom to choose. Ms. Sasikala’s quick moves raise questions about her intentions.
K.B.N. Devi,
Bengaluru
The top court’s verdict might have stopped Ms. Sasikala from becoming Chief Minister but not her policies which are bound to be implemented without obstructions , thanks to loopholes in our legal and political systems. The unholy nexus between politics and corruption is nothing new and there are many Sasikalas in Indian politics. The only thing is that only a few are caught while many escape due to inherent shortcomings in various systems. Those who enter politics do so with hardly any scrutiny. There must be a radical transformation in the way checks and balances are done which will further enhance people’s faith in democracy and governments.
Kshirasagara Balaji Rao,
Hyderabad
Large sections of the media have taken it upon themselves to try to influence the course of political events in Tamil Nadu and shown their strong bias against Ms. Sasikala and the dominant AIADMK faction led by her in the process. The unabashed political bias has immensely eroded the credibility of the press. The choice of words by TV anchors and reporters has shown their lack of political neutrality. Some journalists have not crowned themselves with glory when they went so far as to term the power struggle as a “morality-versus-majority” issue, call O. Panneerselvam and Deepa Jayakumar as the “true inheritors” of Jayalalithaa’s legacy, certify the Panneerselvam faction as the “real AIADMK”, and argue the case for Mr. Panneerselvam’s continuance as Chief Minister on the ground of “groundswell of support” for him. For all their intellectual airs, journalists did not seem to appreciate that fighting corruption as a matter of principle is not the same as deploying a verdict as a weapon to fight a leader reviled by them.
G. David Milton.
Maruthancode, Tamil Nadu
