SC order a fillip to anti-corruption movement in India

Chennai: The Supreme Court, setting aside the Karnataka High Court order, and upholding the trial court conviction of Jaya and Sasikala, is a huge victory for the forces who have been waging a war against corruption, particularly politicians. It has been a 20-year wait for the case to come an end with the SC verdict today, and it it is to the everlasting credit of trial court judge Counha, prosecutor B V Acharya and even the DMK to continue the struggle.

Spare a thought for the honest Counha who must have resisted intense pressure from the local Karnataka (during BJP rule) and Tamil
Nadu governments, politicians and their brokers. When so many buckle under pressure and temptation, Counha resisted and
continued his struggle despite great odds.

Also, monumental was the effort of Acharya in meticuloulsy preparing the case and pursuing the trial. Pressure was put on Acharya
by the then BJP government, whose CM Gowda is now Union Minister in the NDA government. The BJP CM asked Acharya to resign from the post of PP citing a frivolous complaint that he was holding two posts (Acharya also had a post in the Law department), and he expected Acharya to take up the government post, giving up the PP post in the case. However, kudos to Acharya for sticking on to the PP post, giving up the other government post.

Later, Acharya was forced to resign as he he faced harassment from the BJP government in Karnataka. It was only after the BJP was
ousted from power and the Congress returned to power in that State, that Acharya was persuaded to rejoin the case at the fag end.

Credit is also due to the DMK's legal wing, represented by its general secretary K Anbazhagan, which fought the case over a long
period. The turning point in the case came through Anbazhagan's petition to shift the case to Bengaluru at a time when the DA case
was being heard in Chennai and witnesses were turning hostile as the AIADMK was in power.     

When the Supreme Court upheld Anbazhagan's petition, and moved the case to Bengaluru, the case proceeded in a different manner.

Judge Counha was a person of great integrity as also PP Acharya, and the noose gradually tightened around the four accused.

Karnataka's legal brains have to come in for praise too. The trial court verdict was a great piece of work. The Congress government
in Karnataka filed its appeal against the Karnataka HC acquittal order and pursued it in the Supreme Court. Therefore, here again
Karnataka played its part in pursuing the case to the logical conclusion. With the track record of Lokayukta headed by Hegde finding
B S Yeddyurappa guilty even when he was chief minister, Karnataka's legal luminaries again came out on top.    

Karnataka has again covered itself in glory on the issue of fighting corruption in high places.

The SC order today should give a boost to the movement against corruption all over India.

By R. Rangaraj