Why is justice considered so extraordinary?

In our country as in many others, justice is often delayed. Yet, that is not the part that worries most. The judiciary in our country today is a thorough and repeatedly tested system doing what it was totally designed not to. It is a tool for the rich and powerful and just something that the common man – who it is supposed to protect -- has to bear with.

Through my formative years, as I started to slowly understand the world around me as I am still doing....the Government, the Parliament, the Judiciary etc. all that sticks in the head are scams or petty politics. These have never been fresher as 2010 was the year of scams. Maybe, it is a culturally part of our society to be petty or it is a legacy inherited after being ruled for centuries by invaders who came, ruled/looted and left.

Whatever it maybe, sometimes I feel that as a country, we do not hold an eye for something big – we like to be lead. What else would explain the desperation of having us endorsed by the bigger countries for the Security Council? It has become more of an ego issue now. If we know that we have arrived and that the future is ours then why are we looking for every second country to tell us that?

Those issues aside, the judiciary has become apathetic or it may have always been. The belief has collapsed to a point that justice is almost expected to be denied whenever a high profile case comes up and that is what is worrying; there is no hope amongst the commoners. Justice, whenever delivered in such cases, even after the mandatory delay is considered extraordinary.

And, this is the feeling that the media, whether films or the news media industry look to exploit. I do not know if exploit is the right term to use but that is the first word that comes to mind. Media trials have become a fad and all the news channels are in a race to break the next big media trial and there are plenty of examples that they find. In a way, it is good that it creates public opinion but at the same time it evaporates the last few rays of faith that the common man may have.
The stimulant for this particular article has been ‘No One Killed Jessica’, the movie based on the famous Jessica Lall case that stretched over a decade but justice was finally delivered after huge protests throughout the country. There are numerous other examples – Aarushi Talwar, Priyadarshini Matoo, Nitish Katara – piling evidences of a failed judiciary and administration.

In movies, be it Rang De Basanti or No One Killed Jessica or innumerable others (especially through the 90s), justice when eventually achieved has been portrayed in such a glorified way. Maybe, it is the truth but sending a message to 1/7th of humanity saying that you can only get justice if you are powerful or else be ready to be another iconic case! That too in a glorified, dressed up way with heart wrenching background scores. Haven’t the cases been glorified enough by the media themselves?

I do not know what the solution is. I probably don’t even know where the problem lies because it so deep rooted and complex. Maybe, corruption, apathy, bowing down to the powerful are traits that are culturally embedded in us and hence in our system too. But, looking at the crippled state of the judiciary; a wing of democracy that is supposed to define its strength is rather defining its weakness in the Indian case. In our country justice delayed is not justice denied, justice delivered however delayed is extraordinary!