The beauty and paradox of Indian democracy; Ajmal Kasab can say anything

By O.J.George

Sometimes we speak lowly about our nation considering pervasive corruption, political wrong-doings, the rich becoming richer even as the poor were becoming poorer, windfall profits accruing to big MNCs on account of opening up but denying proper welfare measures to the have-nots and the like.

But there is the beauty of our democracy, its jurisprudential sequences and the basic dictum that no innocent should be punished.

Take the case of Ajmal Kasab, the lone surviving terrorist in the Mumbai attack.

He had pleaded guilty to the charges, which was a voluntary confession made on July 20. Now on Friday, he made a volte-face.He does not know anything about the attacks.

He had come to Mumbai in search of finding opportunities for acting in films. He was roaming around Juhu beach 20 days before the 26/11 attack.

He has close similarity to another terrorist who was killed in the encounter and so he was accosted by the police.

Unsolicitedly ,he made a reference to US terror-suspect David Headley as well. No doubt, he wants to mislead the prosecution and possibly delay the processes.

A number of eyewitnesses have identified Kasab and CCTV cameras at Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus have captured him blazing away.

But Kasab made seemingly bizarre claims, contradicting his July 20 voluntary confession made before judge M.L. Tahilyani as well as the one recorded before a magistrate in February.

The 22-year-old said he was not a terrorist, had not fired at commuters at CST and had never ever seen an AK-47 before he was put on trial.

He said he travelled from Pakistan to New Delhi by the Samjhauta Express and came to Mumbai 20 days before 26/11 to find a house.

Kasab claimed he was falsely implicated because he resembles another gunman Abu Ali, who was shot dead.

Had he been in Pakistan, Saudi Arabia or China, he would not have received so many opportunities to say something before a judge a few times and then retract the same and move in an entirely different direction.

Three cheers for Indian democracy which allows all sorts of viewpoints. Whether such averrments will have any sway in the final analysis is a different issue.