A youngter caught watching porn on a mobile phone in Mangalore was dragged to police station and booked under section 294 of IPC.
Everyone is equal in the eyes of law, but some are more equal than others. This is what many people of the state have come to believe, going by how the former ministers involved in the porn scandal are apparently being given an easy way out.
Past Sunday night in Mangalore city, a policeman caught two youth red-handed watching porn on a mobile phone at an empty bus stand. The cop grabbed their collar but one of them managed to escape.
The one holding the mobile phone could not break free and was dragged to the police station. He was booked under section 294 of Indian Penal Code, which says the offence is cognizable, can be tried in court and is punishable with imprisonment for three months and/or fine. Poovaiah, the inspector of Barke police station in Mangalore city, told DNA the youth’s offence was grave.
Similar cases are booked across the state. Many times the offenders face conviction. However, the former ministers who were caught on camera while watching pornographic videos, that too on the floor of the assembly, have not faced police action yet; people have begun to ask if the MLAs are above law.
That the assembly speaker has set up an inquiry committee to look into the incident has not gone down well with people.
Raju Poojary, father of one of the youth who was caught watching porn in Bajpe, asked why his son should be penalised for an offence for which the ex-ministers were facing merely an inquiry committee.
‘Speaker biased’
Chairman of Mangalore Bar Council, SP Chengappa, told DNA that any offence committed inside the Vidhana Soudha could be inquired by Vidhana Soudha police, but only after the assembly speaker’s nod in this case. President of Transparency International, India, Justice (Retd) MF Saldanha said he had little hope that the accused MLAs would get punishment. He said speaker KG Bopaiah was known for being biased and even in this incident, the speaker was likely to let the former ministers go lightly.
Saldanha added that there was no need for inquiry in this incident as there was video evidence to prove the wrongdoing. He said the police were wrong in saying that the crime came under the jurisdiction of the speaker. He said what happened in the assembly that day was like any other criminal act upon which the police can take action.
Congress leader VS Ugrappa shared this view. He said most of the representatives in both the houses—including those of the BJP—were not expecting the committee to indict the accused trio. He said there should be instant justice in the case; the speaker should have asked the Vidhana Soudha police to book a case against the trio instead of intervening.
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
)
)
)
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}