Get cracking

The inexplicable disappearance of the prime accused in the murder case involving Indian Express staffer Shivani Bhatnagar had cast a long shadow on the credibility of the criminal justice system and, specifically, on that of the police. It took senior IPS officer R.K. Sharma 58 days to surrender, a telling comment in itself on the declining standards of propriety among the highest echelons of the police force. It also indicates that when it comes to shielding one of their own, the guardians of law in this country are more than prepared to bend the rules. Sharma, of course, has an explanation for the contemptible game of hide-and-seek that he played with the authorities. He says he fears for his life, claiming that he is innocent and has been framed by the Delhi Police who are ‘‘shielding guilty politicians’’. He also fears that he will be subjected to third degree methods by the Delhi Police.

It is now up to the investigating agencies and the courts to decide on the credibility of these accusations but they are extremely serious and Sharma — if he had any evidence worth the name — should have come out with it as quickly as possible instead of having taken to his heels. India is not a banana republic, where the powerful can frame individuals and get away with it thanks to pliant police officers and kangaroo courts. Whether Sharma likes it or not, all the evidence that has surfaced thus far has conspired to make him the prime accused in the Shivani murder and it is now up to him and his lawyers to present a credible defence. Already valuable time has been wasted over solving a murder that took place in January 1999. It is in the interests of everyone — including Shivani’s bereaved and traumatised family, R.K. Sharma himself and Pramod Mahajan, the union minister whom Sharma’s wife has accused of involvement in the case — that the truth emerges.

Now with Sharma in custody, the Delhi Police had better deliver results. There are several loose ends to be tied, including the apprehending of two others alleged to be involved in the execution of the murder and who are still at large. It is this inability on the part of the police to get their act together on an extremely important case that had raised suspicions in the public mind. Consequently, a belief has taken root that some extremely powerful forces have been at work to ensure that nothing comes of it. This, if nothing else, should be enough to goad the investigating agencies into displaying some much required urgency in solving this infamous case. We have waited long enough.