The games we play with murder

Two recent cases of murder have caught the public eye. First, the murder of Tonu that still remains shrouded in mystery. The case has caused public outcry and three months on we are witness to the murdered girl's family torments. Not only has the case not gone anywhere, rather the poor family is being hounded by quarters unknown. By the looks of it, we may never know why the girl was killed and who knows when the family will get justice for the death of their murdered daughter. Then we have the case of the broad-daylight murder of a police officer's wife; its mystery has deepened with every passing day. Reportedly, the police super has been offered a deal to either retire from the force or face trial for the alleged murder of his wife.

The contrasting treatment of these two cases could not get starker. In Tonu's case, the investigation seems to have reached a blind alley. Her mother's lamentations, that the poor shall always be deprived of justice may well come true in her case too. On the other hand, a police officer is being offered a deal when he should have been treated as per law if there was prima facie evidence of his complicity in the killing of his wife. In both cases, there is an attempt to circumvent and defeat the legal process with the ulterior motive of shielding the perpetrators.    

While it may be expeditious to sweep unpalatable truths under the carpet, what we are quietly admitting is that the law may not serve the course of justice but can be used to serve the interest of vested groups.