Redtape (real life story)

 Red tape

We often say, ‘have faith in Judiciary’. But it is also said that ‘justice delayed is justice denied’. In today’s HT one article written about a delayed justice and further delayed action by state machinery to implement top court order for which a person who cleared both written and oral exam for teacher’s job, in the then undivided AP, way back in 1998, issued recently appointment letter after a span of 24 years. Is it not a cruel joke? The person is now 55. All throughout these years he had a failed cloth shop business , his parents died meanwhile, he resorted to begging, sometimes sell clothes riding a rickety bicycle. His photograph shows he is malnourished. Sometimes he goes to local school to get midday meal leftovers. 

All these could have been avoided and he could live a life of dignity, had the justice and subsequent implementation done in time.

But why the system failed? Apparently the case was complex. In Indian judiciary there are so many steps that a litigant has to face, starting from tribunal to lower court, then high court and finally Supreme Court. The case also had a setback when the state of AP was bifurcated in 2014. In this case state Government fully aware that they are in a loosing field, never hesitated to go to appeal step by step upto top court even after series of failure in lower courts. This mentality rooted in Indian bureaucratic mindset that a officer might be questioned for a controversial case even though he knows that opponent’s demand is legitimate. Govt has the money and manpower to drag the case for longer duration in complex judicial system. This type of treatment popularly known as ‘ red tapeism’. Judiciary often overlook because of delayed justice the hapless victim had to face big setback in life and no amount of compensation can give back his yesteryear’s loss. There are so many under trials languishing in jail for years together. The biggest flaw in the system police detain a person and police frame the charge sheet. There is no agency who can question the authenticity of the charge sheet. In absence of any intermediary agency, the onus lies only to the framed person to prove his innocence. 

Debadatta

21/06/22