Letter to BS: Candidates accused of crimes must be barred from elections

Unless the rule "presumed guilty, until pronounced innocent by the courts" is applied to candidates accused of serious crimes, Indian democracy will remain a farce

This refers to the article, “Criminalisation of politics strikes at very root of democracy, says SC” (September 26). We Indians are used to witnessing the spectacle of lawbreakers getting elected to the legislatures and becoming lawmakers, thanks to the crucial role played by caste and money power in elections. The Attorney General K K Venugopal’s submission that only convicted lawmakers can be disqualified and not accused ones is untenable given the inordinate delay in courts pronouncing judgments and the abysmal rate of conviction in cases involving influential politicians. As such, unless the rule “presumed guilty, until pronounced innocent by the courts” is applied to candidates accused of serious crimes and they are barred from fighting elections, Indian democracy will remain a farce.

V Jayaraman  US

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