THE ADAGE ‘justice delayed is justice denied’ has proved untrue in the much publicised murder case of Hindi poetess Madhumita Shukla. She was killed four years back. Now, with the verdict from a Dehradun session court punishing high profile criminals prove that though justice was delayed, it was not denied. This verdict has strengthened the common man’s trust in the judiciary.
No one is above the law. If a person intends to indulge in crimes using his clout, political power, status and influence, he won’t be spared. Punishment to a sitting MLA and former minister of Samajwadi Party, Amarmani Tripathi, his wife Madhumani, nephew Rohit Chaturvedi and another person, is a wonderful example of true justice has been meted out to a commoner despite the power and pelf of the culprit.
Though one of the accused Parkash Pandey was acquitted due to the lack of evidence but those directly and heinously involved in the crime were punished. It relieved the nation. This milestone verdict warns all high profile criminals that if they sow crimes they cannot reap acquittals. Not always.
The love affair between the MLA and the poetess was well known. When it was under wraps there was no problem but when it surfaced, it became too hot and sleazy to handle. Skillfully (read craftly), Amarmani and his spouse decided to get rid of the poetess, the former minister’s beloved. Madhumita was slain in the paper mill colony of Lucknow, in May 2003.
Alike other crimes, this murder evoked nationwide outrage, which provoked the politician to play dirty game with the case. Using his influence and clout, he tried to scuttle the justice. Also, the goons of minister, ever since the murder took place in 2003, were threatening to family members of Madhumita. Then on the base of a petition filed by Nidhi Shuklla, her sister, in February 2007, a division bench of the Supreme Court transferred the case to session court of Dehradun, from Lucknow to ensure a free and fair trial.
At last truth triumphed. The DNA sample of the foetus – Madhumita was pregnant when she was killed – matched with Amarmani’s DNA. The authenticity of love letters exchanged between the two was proved with the help of handwriting experts. Most importantly, almost 79 witnesses appeared in the case against the culprits.
It’s no doubt that now Amarmani will take his case to higher courts for appeal against the sentence. He has every right to do so but the question is: Can he easily prove himself innocent? What about the solid evidences against him and others?
In some way, it is justifiable to see Amarmani behind the bars. With his sentence, other culprits in politics might take a lesson that bad intent yields bad results. The crucial question is why don’t people reject such criminals as they imperil the society. People should not forget that when Amarmani contested his last election from Maharajganj constituency, he was in jail. But, he had won the election even then. Should the electorate repeat the same mistake, is a question that haunts most right-minded people.
By Ashwini Ahuja
Source: http://www.merinews.com/
Forget yourself for others, and others will never forget you.
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