Public Sentiments Again

http://mi59.blogspot.com/2011/08/public-servants-and-public-sentiments.html

When I wrote  on this blog about Rule of Law giving way to Public Sentiments , I never thought my worst nightmares would be forming up so soon.

While sentiments in Tamilnadu is for clemency to convicts in Rajiv Gandhi assassination case, Jammu and Kashmir is poised to fight for clemency for a convict in parliament attack case. In both cases, the majority view in the country will be in favour of  upholding the law of the land, while majority in the particular region is definitely for review of the law, in deference to public sentiments.

While J & K is ever volatile, Tamilnadu has a curiously disturbing culture of self-immolation at the drop of a hat. In fact the word for self- immolation is 'thee-kulithal ', meaning fire-bath , as if it is something like sauna bath. How can a young girl, kill herself, for a remote chance of saving a life ? The State legislative Assembly passes a resolution, under pressure from the public sentiments, and the pressure is further passed on to the the Supreme Court, Union Govt and the President.

What's worse is that, some panelists on CNN-IBN ask, "Hasn't Anna Hazare just proved that People's wishes reign supreme in a democracy ? "

I wish , I could read Anna Hazare's mind on what should be the right course of action for the State and Central Govts, in the face of such popular sentiments.  He can't even convert it to a debate against 'capital punishment , per se', as some people  do. He has gone on record supporting death sentence for the corrupt !