What is their marker of distinction from a mob?
Friday, 31 July 2009
In an unprecedented act of collective misdemeanour, 70-80 judicial cadre officials coming in six microbuses rushed through the secretariat gate, converged around law minister's chamber, raised a hell-fire, yelling names of some officials and insisted on meeting the minister to press home their demands. They broke every rule of the book, that they were supposed to uphold, with utter disdain.
They had no entry passes to the secretariat, no appointment with the minister, and yet they demanded to see him. And when the policemen on security duty were trying to do their job, the agitating judges reacted angrily.
There was everything rowdy about it, all of this outrageously repugnant to any sensibilities of civilised conduct that any number of educated citizens, let alone members of an organised service cadre are expected to exemplify by their behaviour, especially under public gaze. And, when such expectations are belied by men dealing with law and justice, they resorting to rowdy behaviour, what is their marker of distinction from a mob?
Some of them even came from outlying areas without prior permission leaving their posts unattended, just to jump into the bandwagon in a show of strength as if brandishing a collective armour of impunity to force the government's hands into doing something that basically required civilised deliberation to be sorted out.
It shames us to say that they should behave. Justice is a contract of expediency, entered upon to prevent men harming or being harmed.
Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. Justice requires that to lawfully constituted Authority there be given that respect and obedience which is its due; that the laws which are made shall be in wise conformity with the common good; and that, as a matter of conscience all men shall render obedience to these laws. Justice is a contract of expediency, entered upon to prevent men harming or being harmed.
Gopal Sengupta
Canada
_gopalsengupta@aol.com_ (mailto:gopalsengupta@aol.com)
They had no entry passes to the secretariat, no appointment with the minister, and yet they demanded to see him. And when the policemen on security duty were trying to do their job, the agitating judges reacted angrily.
There was everything rowdy about it, all of this outrageously repugnant to any sensibilities of civilised conduct that any number of educated citizens, let alone members of an organised service cadre are expected to exemplify by their behaviour, especially under public gaze. And, when such expectations are belied by men dealing with law and justice, they resorting to rowdy behaviour, what is their marker of distinction from a mob?
Some of them even came from outlying areas without prior permission leaving their posts unattended, just to jump into the bandwagon in a show of strength as if brandishing a collective armour of impunity to force the government's hands into doing something that basically required civilised deliberation to be sorted out.
It shames us to say that they should behave. Justice is a contract of expediency, entered upon to prevent men harming or being harmed.
Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. Justice requires that to lawfully constituted Authority there be given that respect and obedience which is its due; that the laws which are made shall be in wise conformity with the common good; and that, as a matter of conscience all men shall render obedience to these laws. Justice is a contract of expediency, entered upon to prevent men harming or being harmed.
Gopal Sengupta
Canada
_gopalsengupta@aol.com_ (mailto:gopalsengupta@aol.com)