echo of license raj

Demolition is a form of justice vigilante action, has no sanction in law, but continues rampantly under the nose of the authorities in some states. A hotel of suspended Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Mishri Chand Gupta, who was recently accused of murder in Madhya Pradesh’s Sagar town, was razed with explosives late on Tuesday night under the supervision of the District Collector and Deputy Inspector General. Police. Like the bulldozers seen in another BJP-ruled state of Uttar Pradesh, the building may have violated norms. Yet, while illegal construction is rampant in India, only a small number of cases are singled out for local spectacle, adding a tough blow to those facing other charges. These are usually unproven allegations, which are assessed to have political potential in the accused as payment for those actions. This approach may also be popular in some settings, but fails the test of rule of law. For it to pass, one’s innocence until proven guilty must prevail, and the crime must attract a predetermined punishment that is proportionate. As with the License Raj, when businesses are found guilty of one thing but punished for another, this ridiculous game must end.