Bull's Eye

Why can't people forget the Jain hawala case?

"Is Amir Bhai's arrest an opening for the cbi?" asked The IndianExpress.

"I don't know what the case against Amir Bhai is but it is a real pity,"replied law minister Ram Jethmalani. "When everyone else is discharged, what are theydoing with Amir Bhai? This is what creates suspicion."

Ah, now it's clear. All the accused politicians were discharged from the hawalacase for lack of corroborative evidence. There was no corroborative evidence because AmirBhai was missing. That is why the politicians were discharged.

Now Amir Bhai is in official custody. Meanwhile, all the accused politicians have beendischarged. So why should poor Amir Bhai alone be in custody? This creates suspicion.

Our honourable law minister couldn't have sent a stronger signal. Amir Bhairesponded with alacrity. He admitted to the Enforcement Directorate officials questioninghim that he indulged in hawala transactions. But why assume he knew Jain? Just because ofhis name in Jain's diary?

Er... Not quite. There were records of the two telephone calls made by the Jains toAmir Bhai abroad. Amir Bhai says the Jains must have talked to someone else. He didn'teven know them! He had an alibi to prove that he personally couldn't have receivedone call. At the precise time and day when Jain called his number in Dubai, Amir Bhai waswith some people in a hotel. Who could these people be to vouch that Amir Bhai did notreceive that call? Why, who else but ED Special Director A.P. Kala and cbi joint directorP.C. Sharma!

When the agencies accused Amir Bhai of receiving the call, didn't they know thattheir own personnel were with him elsewhere? Tsk-tsk, how careless of you chaps!

Ram Jethmalani, law minister in Vajpayee's first 13-day government, told the pressthat he could give a sworn affidavit that L.K. Advani was innocent. Advani was an accused.Wasn't the matter sub judice? The courts didn't think so. If the man whopreviously drafted the petition for the litigants could himself give such an affidavit,there must indeed be nothing in the case. That is where the matter should be allowed torest. Let's not quibble about how the probe was conducted.

Never show contempt for the judiciary. That is against the law. Never show contempt forpoliticians. They are beneath contempt.

There's an unwritten pact
To twist every fact,
To okay cases being fought,
To stop leaders being caught!