[Reader-list] KASAV VERDICT

[anupam chakravartty]

have punishments solved the problems of the world? have they or they havent?
if they have not then i think this way of treating the deviants must stop
because it doesnt bear any good, neither to the society nor to the affected
individuals. it has been proven punishments are nothing but a great ego
satisfaction for those who have been affected. a reassurance for those who
stand by the laws. but nothing more than that. if there is anything else
apart from that momentary ego satisfaction derived out of punishing wrong
doers, then please tell me. is it not comparable to the ego satisfaction or
the burning need to kill someone for the sake of anything subscribed by the
wrong doers? i am sure it is. it the other side of the same coin.

at the same time, please do not misinterpret my position here by saying that
i am speaking in favour of those who have committed crimes of killing
people. i am just taking a position against one particular system of
laws which actually has been evidently derived from barbaric kingdoms of the
past. i am not even hinting at a lawless world. but our legal machineries
must be rescued from this universal, all pervasive nature of
justice. why cant justice be more personal? why does it have to include
everybody in it? apart from shock and dismay that i felt after 26/11
attacks, i never personally felt anything for kasab or for those who planned
these strikes. a certain impulsive reaction would have been to beat him
up and take revenge, feel like a hero who has killed the beast. upon
contemplation, i realise what i am. a miniscule little dot in the scheme of
these things. kasab has more popularity (or un-popularity) ratings than i
have. for police, he is a prized criminal. for legal machinery, a
sacrificial goat in the altar of humanity. for media, a punching bag, may be
a source of daily bread. even if i want to beat him up for his crimes, i am
sure i would not be allowed to. therefore the only available interpretation
with which i can be avenged is that the state, on my behalf, by keeping him
alive so that they can hang him by his neck one day will deliver justice to
me and several other indians. how amazing is my state. this is my ego
satisfaction, i will be thrilled to see that man hang by his neck. but men
or women for paltry sums of money or for similar ego adventures aligned to
their identities would continue to bomb establishments. they have done so,
whether you like it or not. what is this big deal about capital punishment
then?