Socialite justice

Or was it,as recently-circulated reports suggest,a case of family rivalry? Certainly,ditziness cannot be a shield against a criminal offence; and,whatever the details,dodging duties is a punishable financial crime with hefty penalties. But on the other hand,all crimes are not created equal. Does this case call for arrest especially when most cases like this are dispensed with after the fines are paid?

Though in this case,the media brouhaha has at least ensured that the customs forms are likely to be filled in with utmost seriousness from now on. The press and public have pored over details of how Mafatlal,Indias ambassador of luxe,spent the night on a lumpy coir mattress and shared space with hard-bitten criminals. It is a sign of the inchoate frustration that the Indian public feels at the routine rule-flouting of the rich and powerful who seem to live with no sense of consequences. But emotional satisfaction should not dictate the way punitive processes work. Mafatlals misdemeanour deserves full punishment,but the episode prompts questions about our rulebook itself is arrest warranted for this kind of infraction? Sheetal Mafatlal should not be disproportionately harassed or made a straw woman for a tidy parable about the moral bankruptcy of wealth.