The first hallmark of any civilized country or society is whether there is rule of law or not. The first condition for the strength of democracy and economic and social development is the rule of law. The absence of rule of law leads any society to anarchy. It could be some kind of chaos. It is possible that that anarchy will help in winning elections, but just having elections does not make a country democratic. Sadly, the concept of the rule of law in the world’s largest democracy is under threat. In its place has come the rule of quick justice i.e. Vigilante Justice. Wherever he is getting a chance, he is doing justice there. The process of lynching is going on from roads to Parliament and from government departments to studios of news channels.
Vigilante Justice as an idea has always been there in every country and society. But he is not encouraged by the system. No civilized society can allow anyone to take the law into their own hands and do justice on the street. But in the name of cow protection, Vigilante Justice started getting recognition in India. It started getting encouragement from the society. Those who killed people in the name of cow protection were publicly welcomed by the ruling party. In the name of protecting the culture, young boys and girls started being humiliated and beaten up in public places. Women sitting in pubs and bars were attacked. In the name of protecting religion, public disputes started with people of other religions. Cow protectors, culture protectors, religion protectors sat down with their courts.
While this process was going on, the bulldozer culture was started. Governments have done away with the need for courts. Government institutions became police, lawyers, judges and executive all in themselves. The principle of natural justice allows every individual to present his case. From this principle of justice, it is believed that every person is innocent until proven guilty. But in India this principle was reversed. It is happening in many states that bulldozers are being run at the house, shop of the person caught on any charge. The government is saying that it is demolishing illegal constructions, but there is no answer as to how did it decide whether the construction is illegal or legal? Did he give notice to the accused and give him an opportunity to present his case? If any person participated in a procession or became a part of a democratic demonstration, then action is being taken against him by removing the footage from the CCTV. The courts put a halt in one place and the front opens in another place.
When injustice increases in a society, it has been heard about the birth of Robinhood or the formation of Vigilante Justice, but in India, the government has become Robinhood, the governments are running the group of Vigilante Justice. Governments are punishing people without going through the court process. It is not that only one group or class is being victimized. The entire poor section of the society is falling prey to this. In Madhya Pradesh, the woman whose house was built under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana was also bulldozed, then Jha Saheb’s paan shop in Delhi’s Jahangirpuri area was also broken and by the time Gupta reached with the official paper of approval of his shop. His shop also broke down. This bulldozer justice is creating a challenge for the entire judicial system of the country.
Think, what if the same thing happened everywhere? Where will the country go if he does ‘justice’ wherever he gets a chance? The danger of speedy justice is that it leads to a jungle system. The one who is strong will survive, everything else will perish. Or the story of Take Ser Bhaji, Take Ser Khaja proves to be true. A similar system seems to be being made in India, where the government has prepared a noose of one size, whose neck fits in its noose, he is hanged. As this system of justice becomes more popular and stronger, India as a country and a society will become a victim of anarchy. And once the chaotic system comes into force, even those who are clapping or celebrating it today will not escape its injury.
