SHILLONG, Oct 31 - It is a bitter-sweet reality-pill hard to digest when a person alleged to have stolen �Rosgullas� is promptly chargesheeted, arrested and suspended by the Government, but similar enthusiasm is not shown in alleged criminal cases involving politicians and bureaucrats.
This happens throughout the country where those at the helm of power have different yardsticks to uphold the law. In the case of Meghalaya, Anil Baitha was alleged last year to have stolen Rosgullas from the refrigerator of Hotel Pinewood � a Government owned enterprise.
Based on a complaint filed by the Government, departmental action was taken immediately. Baitha was charge- sheeted and in no time, arrested, booked under section 380 IPC (theft) and put under suspension. He was a chowkidar at the Government-run hotel. A trial is on.
On the other hand, in another case from 2008, in which the welfare of 5,500 youths were involved, there have been allegations that politicians and bureaucrats messed with their careers.
In that case, the 5,500 youths from all over the State appeared for a recruitment examination for 749 vacant posts of assistant teachers in Government schools. However, the recruitment process was allegedly scammed and some of the candidates went to Court after findings through an RTI.
Justice T Vaiphei of the then Shillong bench of Gauhati High Court on October 21, 2011 ordered a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) investigation into the allegations.
Subsequently, a 107 page CBI report was submitted to the Court in March 2012 in which it was unearthed that answer scripts of candidates were tampered to favour those candidates recommended by politicians.
The CBI named several politicians and officials for allegedly tampering with the examination answer sheet of the candidates and recommending names of candidates who probably wouldn�t have passed the interview.
The lists of names in the CBI report included 15 Ministers, MLAs and Members of District Councils recommending their own list of candidates for the posts.
According to the CBI report, JD Sangma, then director Elementary and Mass Education department based on the instruction of then Education Minister Ampareen Lyngdoh �changed the score sheet by applying white fluid on the original marks.� �In my opinion, there are strong prima facie evidence of massive irregularities, arbitrariness and manipulations�� Justice Vaiphei said in his judgement.
The damaging report was forwarded by the Court to the Government asking the Education department to �take necessary action� based on the findings.
The action the Government took back then was to appeal before the Division bench of the Court to unsuccessfully quash the CBI report. The Government sought a high-level inquiry committee be instituted (comprising of Government officials) to probe into the matter.
The Court then granted setting up of a high-level scrutiny committee, but didn�t quash the CBI report. The entire case, with much of its legal wrangling, is still pending before the Court.
�This is what happens where the powerful gets away and those alleged in petty theft cases are chargesheeted, arrested and suspended promptly,� Agnes Kharshiing, president of Civil Society Women�s Organisation, who has been fighting for justice in the case, said.
Meanwhile, a writ petition filed by Kharshiing for a fresh CBI inquiry in the case was dismissed by a Division bench of Meghalaya High Court.
SHILLONG, Oct 31 - It is a bitter-sweet reality-pill hard to digest when a person alleged to have stolen �Rosgullas� is promptly chargesheeted, arrested and suspended by the Government, but similar enthusiasm is not shown in alleged criminal cases involving politicians and bureaucrats.
This happens throughout the country where those at the helm of power have different yardsticks to uphold the law. In the case of Meghalaya, Anil Baitha was alleged last year to have stolen Rosgullas from the refrigerator of Hotel Pinewood � a Government owned enterprise.
Based on a complaint filed by the Government, departmental action was taken immediately. Baitha was charge- sheeted and in no time, arrested, booked under section 380 IPC (theft) and put under suspension. He was a chowkidar at the Government-run hotel. A trial is on.
On the other hand, in another case from 2008, in which the welfare of 5,500 youths were involved, there have been allegations that politicians and bureaucrats messed with their careers.
In that case, the 5,500 youths from all over the State appeared for a recruitment examination for 749 vacant posts of assistant teachers in Government schools. However, the recruitment process was allegedly scammed and some of the candidates went to Court after findings through an RTI.
Justice T Vaiphei of the then Shillong bench of Gauhati High Court on October 21, 2011 ordered a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) investigation into the allegations.
Subsequently, a 107 page CBI report was submitted to the Court in March 2012 in which it was unearthed that answer scripts of candidates were tampered to favour those candidates recommended by politicians.
The CBI named several politicians and officials for allegedly tampering with the examination answer sheet of the candidates and recommending names of candidates who probably wouldn�t have passed the interview.
The lists of names in the CBI report included 15 Ministers, MLAs and Members of District Councils recommending their own list of candidates for the posts.
According to the CBI report, JD Sangma, then director Elementary and Mass Education department based on the instruction of then Education Minister Ampareen Lyngdoh �changed the score sheet by applying white fluid on the original marks.� �In my opinion, there are strong prima facie evidence of massive irregularities, arbitrariness and manipulations�� Justice Vaiphei said in his judgement.
The damaging report was forwarded by the Court to the Government asking the Education department to �take necessary action� based on the findings.
The action the Government took back then was to appeal before the Division bench of the Court to unsuccessfully quash the CBI report. The Government sought a high-level inquiry committee be instituted (comprising of Government officials) to probe into the matter.
The Court then granted setting up of a high-level scrutiny committee, but didn�t quash the CBI report. The entire case, with much of its legal wrangling, is still pending before the Court.
�This is what happens where the powerful gets away and those alleged in petty theft cases are chargesheeted, arrested and suspended promptly,� Agnes Kharshiing, president of Civil Society Women�s Organisation, who has been fighting for justice in the case, said.
Meanwhile, a writ petition filed by Kharshiing for a fresh CBI inquiry in the case was dismissed by a Division bench of Meghalaya High Court.
