Editorial: Law’s Short Hands and Still Shorter Logic
India’s 40% population, young, energetic and educated, is not interested in Bofors gun deal scam at all. The 22-years-old scandal happened when their memory was yet to begin and when it began; they had more bigger, yet serious scandals to enlighten them about. Nevertheless, the withdrawal of all cases against Italian businessman Ottavio Quattrocchi in the multi-crore scam, which could have upset today’s old (or youths of 22 years ago), is no less important for this era’s youth for a simple reason of poor efficacy of probe of a corruption case, which they would surely not like in any scam – two decades old or quite recent.
The government provides some very interesting reasons for dropping of cases against Quattrocchi. One, case is going since long and there is nothing left to do in the case, for finally nothing positive was found. Two, CBI failed to extradite Quattrocchi. Three, more money has been spent in the case than the Bofors gun itself as Law Minster M Veerappa Moily puts it. Last, in 2004 Delhi High Court ruled that it was waste of time and there is no case under Prevention of Corruption act in the Bofors matter.
If nothing was found in a 22-year-long probe into a multi-crore scam, it’s a crystal clear failure of investigation to find the culprit rather than innocence of an accused. Expenses of money incurred on probe are attributed to poor efficacy of investigation than anything else.
Sadly, aforementioned arguments, doing rounds ever since withdrawal of Red Corner notice against Quattrocchi by Interpol in April, don’t justify dropping of cases but draw suspicion. If nothing was found in a 22-year-long probe into a multi-crore scam, it’s a crystal clear failure of investigation to find the culprit rather than innocence of an accused. Expenses of money incurred on probe are attributed to poor efficacy of investigation than anything else. And other two points, failure to seek Quattroacchi’s extradition and Delhi High Court’s ruling (in the backdrop of a poor probe) don’t make much sense.
The handling of this particular corruption case leaves many questions unanswered. One, will no positive outcome in investigation of other pending multi-crore corruption cases against powerful people, many of them politicians, justify withdrawal of cases against them? What is more important – delivery of justice or expenses of money? Should all cases running for two decades, or say, for identically long periods deserve to be withdrawn? Is a case fit for withdrawal on the ground that today’s youth – a bulk of voters – are far removed from it?
The tragedy in the whole Bofors gun deal case is that Opposition vehemently took it to streets in 1987 when it came to light and since then, almost each political party of the country with significant presence, regionally or nationally, has got a chance to be in power at the Centre. They didn’t deliver while being at the helm of affairs and now they cannot complain. So, is it a pointer to the fate of other multi-crore scandals?
