“Consent” is the one word which holds universal significance in the field of law, and life as well. Imagine, the concept of consent is removed from the world, freedom, desire, faith, love and law vanish automatically. Does what is left after all this matter in anyway?

What does an act done without the concerned person’s consent amount to in law? Ask the Girhotra family. His son Ashu behind the bars, daughter Ruchika committed suicide, SC Girhotra, their father, has lost his name, fame and money. An act of shame by a police officer named SPS Rathore has changed their lives, once and for all. Such is the times now, one can get away with anything given the right kind of words and adequate currency to go with it.

 

Lawfully speaking, the charges on Rathore, molestation and abetment to suicide, can translate into years in prison. But the ex-DGP has been let away with a feeble wrist slap, thanks to the brilliance of his wifey-cum-advocate Mrs. Abha, the efficiency of CBI which did not find enough evidence to find him guilty enough to punish him severely, the politicians who saved the pervert’s face and also the Judiciary. The law sauntered jauntily for a score’s time and delivered a six month’s imprisonment and 1000 bucks as penalty. Even before people could start grudging at this atrocity, Rathore was out on a bail. Doesn’t this remind you of the famous quote, “the King is dead, long live the King!”?

What is really heartwarming amidst all the muddy truths is the fact that Ruchika’s friend, Aradhna, the sole eye-witness in this case has borne the torch for her tennis-classmate. Think of the trauma a teenager had to go through for no fault of hers, think of the agony of being so close to her and not being able to physically stop the shame, think of being tortured for witnessing the torture, think of being abused by law due to lack of initiative. If only the words of Aradhana and Ruchika were taken seriously, Rathore’s career should have been finished off, things turned out differently here, it was Ruchika who was finished off.

An eagle eyed view of this case might mean nothing, if the society has not realized yet that there are many Rathores. Ruchikas might not be too vocal and Aradhanas are a few to find, and the vigilante media might sleep off if they have to air the sob story of some dirty politician. “Civil liberty” bellows the law, where is civility and where is the liberty? The problem has never been with the law texts, it is with the people who have been given the power to enforce the legislations who need to be transparent and clean.

In the land of Sanatha Dharma (the eternal law) it is time to forget the age old maxim - the King is never wrong. If the Kings are wrong, the subjects can start a revolution. We need social movements in place of draconian legislations and human rights in place of sovereign immunity. Faith, they say moves mountains, it is just the Courts of Justice that we are trying to move, very much possible.

May the justice be done, though the heavens fall!

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