An ancient tale says that a drought-hit farmer went to an astrologist and asked: “Will it rain this month?”
The astrologist thought for a while; then replied. There are two possibilities.”
“Which are these?” asked the farmer.
“Either it will rain or it will not, “replied the astrologist quite authoritatively.
There are likely to be a number of foreseers amongst us who will sound equally authoritative while replying: “Either the Inquiry Committee will find the Prime Minister guilty of lying, or will not.”
To elucidate this point, I can mention a number of analysts who are consuming hours replying the same answer, again and again.
There are those who argue that if the members of the inquiry committee don’t defy the instructions and the expectations of their respective bosses, the Prime Minister will get away with a huge benefit of doubt. But if the honourable members choose to defy their superiors and go for the answers in all earnestness, the Prime Minister will end up declaring: “I have been framed.”
Those who believe that the honourable members will put their careers in jeopardy to obey the dictates of their conscience, are not in impressive numbers. Of course the hnourable judges who have invested their faith in the goodness of this procedure for getting down to the truth, belong to this category. Otherwise a committee comprised of officers answerable to those who have the power to make or break their careers, would not have been formed.
The likelihood of a Khosa or a Gulzar being among the committee members however can’t be ruled out. There is also a belief that MI and ISI members are unlikely to discover a bright sun in the midnight. But then this sort of a belief has only recently received a huge ‘battering’ in the Down Leaks case.
Most hopes therefore are linked to the goodness of the Judges themselves. We should start with a belief that all judges are fundamentally good, but some are more vulnerable to realities (and the doctrine of necessity) than the others.
The judges have the option of dismissing the findings of the Inquiry Committee as a blatant rape of common sense. And common sense says that behind every great fortune there is a crime.
A character in one of the novels of Zola says:
“Goodness man—how have you amassed such mind-bogling wealth?”
The reply is: “Through good fortune and good judgment. I got an opportunity to sell my soul and buy some affluence. Then learnt how to buy the souls of others to multiply my wealth.”
- Latest
- Trending
