In an order delivered this week in the murder trial of Delhi businessman Krishan Sikand, former army officer Lt. Colonel. S J Chaudhary was sentenced to life imprisonment for the murder, and spared the death penalty. This was a great deal of comfort to the relatives of the murdered man who had been waging the fight for justice, and who are credited with having the will and patience to carry through the struggle. The murder was because the wife of the army office separated from him and started having an affair with Mr. Sikand, and the army officer did not like this; so he sent a parcel bomb containing a grenade to Krishan Sikand who lost his life. Well, so this is a normal murder trial, what is so special about this ?
Well, get this - the incident happened in 1982, yes you read it right, the murder conviction and sentencing happens 26 years after the incident. And this was after there was an effort by the nonagenarian father of the victim and an admonition by the High Court to speed the trial up. Read this article and the excerpt for more details:
In yet another rally on the 3rd of May, Raj Thackeray continued on his North Indian campaign; even though he was apparently counselled by the police and by the state Human Rights Commission, Thackeray refused to be mellowed down. Read examples of what he said:
He said north Indians wanted to take over the state and their ‘chhat pujas’ were meant to be a show of strength. “I declare here today that no other day except Maharashtra Day will be celebrated in Maharashtra,” he told the cheering crowds. “Arrest me for this if you can,” he dared the police. He told MNS leaders to shed their complacence and advised his supporters to “take action” whenever they felt necessary. “Don’t wait for instructions,” he said.
He warned that north Indians who did not speak Marathi and did not respect Marathi culture would be driven away. Thackeray stated that so far, all Presidents of India who hailed from the south, had chosen not to deliver their public addresses in Hindi.
“They stuck to English, or their own native languages. That’s why they survived,” he said.