Who watches the Watchmen!

I read this quote in Dan Brown's Digital Fortress. Quis Custodiet ipsos custodes? A lot of us have been thinking about the question that the quote asks. The Hindu carries on its front page the story behind why much of India (granted it is urban, middle class, cable tv watching India) is on the topic now. Before we go any further, there is a petition you can sign to support the cause. There is a group on facebook that you can join as well.

Back to the question. It is the public that has perform the role of watching over the watchmen. Some would argue that the pressure and prejudice so generated is unfair to the accused. I guess that's a good reason to ensure that the trial is speedy. The people who are getting involved would be much happier if they did not need to get involved in the first place. It is heartening to note that people don't shy away from this responsibility when needed though.

The other arms of the government, namely the judiciary and legislature also need to be part of the solution. The public involvement certainly makes the legislature interested. I believe that the judiciary would have done the right thing (albeit slowly) in any case, including pointing out that the investigating "executive" has acted to favour another wing of its own.

Such cases almost always bring the question of "Trial by Media" and its fairness into question. I think media has been a tool the public has used to further its cause throughout history. I have not heard many people complain about the role of the print media in the freedom struggle. Why do we do so in such cases?

Does the media keep the people interested in these cases to further its own cause? Is public opinion being manipulated? The responsibility to present the facts truthfully lies with the media. It is hard to believe that so many people are acting in concert to whip up public sentiment. I also believe that the public needs to get their facts from multiple sources to ensure that they are not being manipulated.

Actually all I wanted to say was Jail the b@$!@^d ! NOW! It would have been easier to do that. But then hyper-intellectual BS is bliss. In case you do not notice, I did not say Hang the b@$!@^d! NOW! Aah! That feels so good!