Politics and beyond
As the southern state of Karnataka is set to go for the second phase of General Elections in a week’s time, it is faced by a massive political storm. However, the criminal aspects of the sex video scandal involving JD(S) MP Prajwal Revanna far outweigh the ‘political’ contestations. The allegations against the MP are gravely shameful. Adding insult to injury is the act of him fleeing the country to bypass legal proceedings. The attempt to defy the legal imperatives by the public officeholder is a gross misuse of political power and influence, exhibiting opacity and unaccountability.
Irrespective of the position, power, and influence he holds, the law of the land demands a fair and strict trial. However, it is not just the integrity of an individual that is at stake. With opposition parties alleging—citing certain proofs—that the JD(S)-BJP alliance was in knowledge of Prajwal’s alleged conduct, the credibility of India’s most influential political party stands vulnerable. It was time that Prajwal’s family, his party and the BJP became vocal to catalyze the investigations against him.
On the contrary, apart from distancing themselves from the case, the aforementioned entities have done little to assure the inflicted public of fair and speedy justice. It is baffling that allegations of such conscience-shaking nature have not been able to break the alliance’s penchant for electoral considerations. It is a case that affirms, once again, that electoral politics in India is excessively aimed at usurping power and position, even if it comes at the cost of life and dignity of the very electorate that politicians are supposed to serve.
There is very little reason to be content with the assumption that voters will decide the fate of candidates and parties who cross the lines of ethics and criminality. Electoral arithmetic is often driven by a multitude of factors, and it is difficult to tell what factors will click the conscience of voters in what degree. There have been instances in the past when seemingly serious issues left little mark on the mind of voters as they pressed the EVM buttons. Electoral outcomes following the farmers’ and wrestlers’ protests are a couple of recent examples.
Talks of electoral swings following the surfacing of sex video case abound public and mass media platforms. Of course, the issue will impact the electoral outcomes, to some degree or the other, but that should not be the central theme. Judicial proceedings must be centred around the alleged injustices and indignity faced by the women. As for Prajwal, all attempts should be made to subject him to criminal proceedings without any biases.
Prajwal has floated the most anticipated response of the sex videos being doctored, which is not a faraway possibility in today’s age of advanced artificial intelligence technology. Doctoring of the digital content has become easier than ever. However, this should not give actual perpetrators of crime an opportunity to hide their ugly faces behind the shield of technological manipulation. In fact, one of the widely stated drawbacks of the AI technology is that it gives wrongdoers an opportunity to prima facie create ambiguity around their misdeeds.
It is essential for India’s judicial machinery to decode the actual criminality behind the allegations. At the same time, the JDS and the BJP must make their stand very clear on this matter. Highest officeholders need to make their assertions clear, irrespective of their political affiliations and electoral calculations. Mass media, too, has a great role to play by focusing equally on the victims and the accused. People must stand tall with their demands for accountability, transparency, and credibility.
