Journalists are snarling tigers when they maul cricket players. They are purringkittens when they snuggle up to politicians.
Cricket players are accused of corruption. Players say they are innocent. Journalistsdon't believe them.
In the hawala scandal, politicians were accused of corruption. Politicians said theywere innocent. Journalists readily believed them.
In the cricket scandal, only Cronje and Azharuddin confessed. In the hawala scandal,six politicians told newspapers and TV that they had received money.
The cricket scandal rests on hearsay. There are unrecorded telephone calls and thetestimony of one bookie, M.K. Gupta.
The hawala case had hard evidence. A detailed diary of accounts was seized along withunaccounted foreign exchange equaling the balance in the diary account.
In the cricket scandal, the cbi admits it lacks evidence to register a case. In thehawala scandal, the Supreme Court monitored the cbi investigation for over a year beforechargesheets were filed.
In the cricket scandal, players are alleged to have disproportionate assets. There isno income-tax probe yet. In the hawala scandal, income-tax probes did take place to showthat 17 politicians had disproportionate assets. The court is prodding income-taxauthorities to act.
In the cricket scandal, the press accuses cricket authorities of covering up thescandal.
In the hawala scandal, despite the Supreme Court monitoring the investigation, a highcourt judge said the diary was not admissible evidence. The case went in appeal to the SC.The apex court said the diary was admissible. But it dismissed the case saying there wasinsufficient corroborative evidence. If there was admissible evidence, why wasn't thecase admitted and the accused cross-examined? It could have been dismissed later if therewas no proof. The press was silent.
The Chief Justice of the Supreme Court admitted during the hawala case that judges werebeing pressurised. He refused to name the guilty. The press was silent.
The government that included the minister accused in the hawala case gave the positionof chairman of the Minorities Commission to the high court judge who dismissed the case.The chief justice who had alleged undue pressures and not disclosed names was appointedchairman of the Human Rights Commission.
Does something smell wrong here? The press doesn't think so. It is too busybashing cricket players.
We'll let the nation totter
On a sticky wicket,
But won't spare the rotter
Who destroys our cricket!
