Anglo Saxon Justice

Was a billionaire
Had several wives
Bred many children
Watched himself on TV
Sent threats to enemies
Had Viagra
Watched occasional pornography

Osama Bin Laden almost sounds human and hm... incredibly lucky to have lived the life he did. (And maybe is presently enjoying the many soothing comforts of beautiful virgins in paradise. I, an agnostic, will give that theory a skip) Finally there is a lot of jubilation over the death of the man who was smoked out of his lair in a midnight operation. How the dreaded guy could have lived comfortably in a Pakistani cantonment town remains a mystery.   The Indian media has been going to town over the inefficacy of the Indian state. An allusion is drawn to Ajmal Kasab, who, after heinous slaughter of innocents is fed biriyani in an Indian jail, while the Yankees just took out their enemy from what everyone now believes is an ISI safe house. The Indian media has gone to town about another high value target ensconced in Pakistan for the last 20 years. Even Pakistani media writes about his presence there. There is an Interpol alert on the man. And we watch helplessly. There is grudging admiration for the Americans who were not gullible enough to let the Pakistanis in on the intelligence they had - Fearing that the target might be tipped off.  Also for being daring enough to fly in and out of Pakistan to achieve their objective.

The Pakistani media is crying hoarse over the attack on their sovereignty. They have redirected their anger at India. If Indians ever try that we will give them a fitting reply, they say. There is anger at the US for the humiliation heaped on them. How could the Indian Army chief dare to suggest that India is also capable of such an operation? (What did you expect him to reply to a pointed question? Well, hmm, we could also do it, in the fullness of time and under propitious  circumstances?). In Indian TV, every night talking heads appear to gleefully suggest that our subcontinental neighbour is a failed state, waiting to implode. This space is not going to be used to further such theories; although the 26/11 assault is fresh in every Indian's mind.

We learned About Anglo Saxon justice system from books of the West. We were taught the principles of the English justice system and the centrality of the principle of natural justice which affords an opportunity to defend one's case. The criminal,be he a serial killer, murderer, rapist, is always read his rights. He is always protected by the wonderful legal system that allows him to seek legal help. He need not say anything that might implicate him in a court of law. He was always innocent until proven guilty. We read tomes of legal thrillers of Erle Stanley Gardner, Scott Turrow and detective fiction by Michael Connelly, John Sanders and others to know how the justice system worked. We always sneered at the apology of the justice system in Indian courts where justice moved at snail's pace. When our Courts gave rulings, the system always found means to subvert them.

Anglo Saxon law also taught us that an unarmed enemy ought to be captured, read out the charges, produced in court, evidences presented and convicted. Against Osama, we always thought that the Americans had tomes of evidence. He was also, allegedly, unarmed at the time when the commandos broke onto his room. Then why did they kill him first? And gave him an anonymous burial in the sea? And claim that justice has been done? No wonder that the Pakistani media is replete with stories that the guy who was killed was not Osama, and also that the Americans stage managed it for an excuse to exit Afghanistan  etc

For a moment, we look back at ourselves. We caught an armed Ajmal Kasab alive. (with valuable human lives sacrificed in the process). We convicted him to hang. He is in jail.  We feed him biriyani with loads of English justice....Don't we have reasons to be proud ? We just might rename the whole process as Indian justice system  instead of Anglo Saxon....And give a few valuable lessons to the rest of the world!!!