The Brave Pedestrian

Thousands of convicts are detained for months or even years AFTER COMPLETION OF THEIR SENTENCES due to non-payment of fines. What right to Life & Liberty are we talking about? The common man has no real right to life and liberty! That's right, there are thousands of inmates who remain in jail even after completion of their jail sentences because they are unable to pay the fine amount! At the end of 2013, there were 3000 such prisoners. Of these, 1375 prisoners, or 45.2% had been in jail less than six months after completion of their sentences. On the other extreme, 240 were still languishing in jail for more than five years after their jail sentences had ended. If non payment of fines of a few thousand rupees can keep you in jail for months or even years, what justice is there in our country? (Thank you TOI for in-depth coverage of this issue.)

While Salman Khan secured bail in barely three hours after his conviction, over 60% of undertrials spend more than three months in jail before they can secure release. The prolonged incarceration is due to their inability to get bail. Government data shows that roughly 1.75 lakh of 2.78 lakh people facing criminal charges are unable to secure bail before three months. Over 40% (1.1 lakh) of undertrials take more than six months to secure bail, over 64,000 spend more than one  year in jail before they are released on bail, while over 30,000 spend more than two years in jail. And further to this, thousands of convicts are detained months or even years AFTER COMPLETION OF THEIR SENTENCES due to non-payment of fines. These are inmates who remain in jail even after completion of their jail sentences because they are unable to pay the fine amount! At the end of 2013, there were 3000 such prisoners. Of these, 1375 prisoners, or 45.2% had been in jail less than six months after comp...

Here's something the media never reports: "Anaadi courts" are the instrumentality by which the State deprives tens of thousands of Indian citizens of their Fundamental Right to Life & Liberty. Without due process. For trivial offences like crossing the railway tracks, ticketless travelling and "loitering suspiciously" (combined with inability to furnish bail-bond or engage a lawyer), people are arrested and held in judicial custody for days, weeks or even months in judicial custody, without even being chargesheeted. This is happening daily, without interruption. Hello... Are the Chief Justices listening? Like  ·  Comment  ·  Share  

Who is biggest human rights violator in India? Judiciary. Why? Because... With the barest-minimum loincloth of "due process of law", our judiciary deprives thousands of people of their Life & Liberty every month, And it keeps them in jail month after month, without a trial. Corruption in magistrate's courts and sessions court is well know and widespread. People who can't afford to pay BAIL, BRIBES & LAWYERS' FEES stay in judicial custody for months, even years without a tria l. Evidently, everybody is fine with that. Not a squeak out of the Human Rights activists & intellectuals. Not a squeak out of the mass media. And damningly, not a squeak out of the judges of Higher Judiciary, custodians of our Fundamental Rights! If We The Citizens don't raise an outcry on this, SHAME ON US. Like  ·  Comment  ·  Share

Our fundamental right to LIFE & LIBERTY takes a backseat to judges RIGHT TO ENJOY HOLIDAYS. Judges all over India are in holiday mood, giving dates for July when court will reopen after summer vacations starting next week. Supreme Court of India has holidays for six months in a year -- a world record. Lower courts work for eight months a year. Give thanks for small mercies  smile emoticon Like  ·  Comment  ·  Share

Here's something the media never reports: "Anaadi courts" are the instrumentality by which the State deprives tens of thousands of Indian citizens of their Fundamental Right to Life & Liberty. Without due process. This is happening daily, without interruption. Hello... Are the Chief Justices listening? Like  ·  Comment  ·  Share

The police are law enforcers. But do they understand law? Most policemen don't. Policemen have powers to accept complaint, detain, arrest and file FIR citing various IPC sections. They also have investigative powers to summon & interrogate possible witnesses, conduct searches etc. But, does the average cop understand anything beyond following the orders of superior officers? No. Their hierarchy and rigidly authoritarian organizational culture -- in fact, a brutal and criminal -minded culture -- makes cops cynical and cruel. This prevents policemen from having respect for democracy and citizens. Cops are habituated to speak the language of oppression and fear. They respect only power, not gentleness & rule of law. The main utility of the police force is VIP SECURITY & CROWD CONTROL. Read  http://tinyurl.com/cops-VIP-duty As a law -enforcement, investigative and crime-prevention agency, police is a TOTAL FAILURE. The main role of police today is drawing a...

The media never reports this: "Anaadi courts" are the instrumentality by which the State deprives lakhs of Indian citizens of their Fundamental Right to Life and Liberty without any due process. This is happening on a daily basis, without interruption. Hello... Are the Chief Justices listening? Like  ·  Comment  ·  Share