By D N Singh(Special)
For any common(lettered) man the sequence of developments surrounding former chief minister of Delhi Manish Sisodia appears shrouded in a kind of confusion which is more confounded by the redoubtable revelations against Sisodia and his associates in the alleged Delhi Excise policy scam.
First he is in incarceration for last few months without a trial or conviction do smack of something underneath fuelling the crises he is in in the ground of possessing a mammoth fortune through the alleged launderings.
Secondly the news emanated that, by the ED, the latter had seized over Rs.52 cr worth of property that was widely flashed in the media.
Such a claim sounds shrill and confusing when seen in hind sight that as per the ED memo accessed by Aam Admi Party, which amounted to Rs.81.5 lakh.
But it took little time, of days to get multiplied to Rs.52 crore that obviously alludes to certain design or a kind of witch hunt under which ever circumstances.
Four months in jail without a trial and the pain of the repeat grilling at home and now in jail are no less than any punishment.
It is common that in politics allegations and counter charges are normal. But what Sisodia has faced is much worse and harmful to a democracy.
First, he has been jailed for over four months without conviction.
The probe agencies or law say that the PMLA creates a presumption of guilt, and the scope for granting bail is extremely narrow.
But where does PMLA was ordinarily applicable at random and rather were meant to target terrorism and narcotics, but the exceptions from procedural safeguards carved out for them are now being exploited and misused perhaps.
For a while let us assume that the court gets Sosodia comes out clean but, why would he have in this state for months which may go to years even just for the reason that the probe agencies let it linger forcing his incarceration longer, at least till the end of 2024 polls.
Interesting that the Sisodias have given the property declaration much before the liquor policy scam surfaced so,the agencies did not discover any thing extra.
The probes are not limited to Sisodia but it has tried to include his wife who is reportedly ailing. That is candid that something is underneath as the probe teams fight hard to keep him in by engaging top lawyers of the country.
And he cannot meet his ailing wife! and what kind of uncompassionate ambit of the legal side is this.
All said and done Sisodia has suffered the humiliation of incarceration and assassination of character in this entire process that seems far from what a politician deserves.
A malleable media
The ED and co have used the Media as if an easy tool to dish out findings in a spicy formats and large section of the media has been going on flashing them without looking into any other window as what lies on the other side than what ED assumes.
It is for anyone to see how a large section of the media, instead of finding and showing the truth, collaborates with the regime in misleading the public.
Badly singled out as a seasoned criminal as if, if one compares this case with other high profile ‘netas’ they are being dealt on a coffee table comfort but in Sisodia’s case, it is witch hunt.
If you apprehend, as it happened in many cases of leaders with such charges, they were being given a sober treatment and once one joins the BJP then he or she is a holy cow.
Take the case of Sisodia and compare with a few others. The case of Assam CM Biswa Sharma or Shivraj Singh Chouhan or Subhendu Adhikari. They all got cleansed because of their party affiliations.
Has the ED any proof of Sisodia’s ill-gotten wealth? Not so far. That speaks of the bias or call it double standard.
The double standards make one wonder: Are there two sets of laws – one for those in the BJP and the other for those against it?
Sharma and Adhikari, whom the BJP itself alleged to be prime accused in the water supply scam and the Narada scam, respectively, be jailed? But they have been exonerated when they joined the BJP! What transpired in hours may not happen in Sisodia case.
If money was Sisodia was looking for then he would have done so by what others did to escape the incarceration. Or he is made aJulioa political prisoner and no one knows for how long.
His case reminisce the sufferings of Wikileak founder Julian Assange who in most dangerous incareceration in UK and US wants his repatriation to America so that he can be sentenced for 175 years in US jail for being a journalist.
Prosecution or persecution
A former journalist and born to a family of a school teacher, as little known about him as a former colleague of this author, he has been found to be a simple man who fights for a cause hence he spoke louder and clear in his education pattern in Delhi which was carried a front page-1 coverage in The New York Times.
Subjecting him to further persecution, the regime is sending a message to each of us. It’s telling us that if a person as liked and respected as Sisodia can be jailed and maligned, then anyone else can be too.
Despite all that happened to him he has not genuflected before any design and that shows he has nothing to fear of nor he is blinded by greed for wealth.
If he breaks then anyone can also.
