The Verdict

The streets of Mumbai rang with the sound of crackers. An expression only resorted to on occasions of happiness and sometimes success like weddings and festivals. But in stark contrast, the occasion yesterday was a man being sentenced to death.

“Yeh hamara tareeka hai” (This is our way); Judge M.L. Tahaliyani was quoted in the Times of India dated May 7. As expected, the media is galore with speculations on the verdict; is it appropriate? Capital punishment? Human rights? To all this there is one response from the judge that could put all these arguments to rest - “The common man will lose faith in courts if they give inadequate punishment.”

Truly, capital punishment for Ajmal Kasab does not mean the end of terror. Neither does it mean that justice has been done; for the masterminds and the accomplices are still unknown and at large. The danger is no less. Some minds are crafted to sacrifice their life for certain personal causes. Does the verdict deter them? No, the verdict also does not guarantee that no such attack shall occur again. In short, the event will be celebrated and forgotten soon, only to be unearthed by the media when another terror attack happens.

But despite the status quo, we find relief in this end. Personally, I am not in strong favour of or vehemently against capital punishment. But in cases like this one, where there is no guilt or regret and the audacity to defend oneself of such cold-blooded murder and conspiracy, I feel no remorse in celebrating the verdict. Not even on humanitarian grounds, for what happened then was nothing but demonic.

Call it the dark side of me, but to me the verdict and that too so quickly, has come across as a reinstating faith in the Indian judicial system. Thank you Judge Tahiliyani, your verdict, as difficult as it may have been, has brought cheer to many.