Bulldozer justice

What passed for instant justice in Madhya Pradesh has made a mockery of the rule of law. Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan has drawn inspiration from his Uttar Pradesh counterpart Yogi Adityanath in celebrating the use of the bulldozer against alleged law-breakers. The events of the past few days point to a brazen attempt at communal polarisation, along with contempt for the due process of law. While the demolition of several properties associated with alleged suspects of the Ram Navami violence in Khargone raises questions about the legality of such a move, the targeted action leaves little to the imagination.

Unlike a rioter, the state is bound by the rule of law. It’s well within its ambit to abide by a policy of zero tolerance to violence and instilling fear in those indulging in criminal activities, but that does not accord permission to resort to impulsive, retributive actions that do not fall within the realm of the criminal justice system. The police argument of demolished properties being encroachments flies in the face of the Home Minister’s remarks that whichever houses were involved in stone-pelting will be turned into piles of stones.

Arrest of the suspected perpetrators, a fast-track trial which accords a right to be heard, followed by punishment if convicted in a court of law, would follow the course of natural justice, not bulldozers ramming into shops and buildings, some even said to have been built by the financially disadvantaged under a Central scheme. The MP government had in December last year passed a law similar to the one in UP, under which those accused of causing damage to property can be sent notices to pay compensation at twice the cost of the damage. Attachment of property should be allowed only after the individual’s involvement is established and a formal claims process. Those sent recovery notices also have a right to be heard. Bulldozer justice circumvents all established processes.