If the Telangana Rashtra Samiti (TRS) happens to convene a ‘praja court’ at Mancherial town in Adilabad district on September 23 to try its suspended MLA G. Arvind Reddy, it will be the first such formally organised event in the political arena in State.
Though this system of settling disputes through popular consent has been in existence in the shape of community panchayats, only the Left wing extremists have used these ‘summary trials’ as tools of speedy dispensation of justice that also accrued some mileage for them.
Until about five years ago, ‘praja courts’ were held in the North Telangana countryside by naxalites of the then CPI(ML) People’s War Group and other outfits like Janashakti. These courts, comprising a select groups of journalists as invitees and villagers concerned as jury, witnessed open trials wherein ‘moles’ or other suspects were punished by ‘common consent’. The system went out of vogue as the influence of extremists began to wane in the Telangana districts.‘Rai centres’
“We had revived the Rai centres (councils of elders) and the Darbars at Keslapu Jatara and at the martyrdom anniversary of Komram Bheem at Jodeghat in the tribal areas of Adilabad district in order to counter the increasing acceptance of ‘praja courts’. Settling of petty compoundable disputes, allowed through these rejuvenated forums resembled speedy dispensation of justice,” recalled Mahesh M. Bhagwat, who was Adilabad SP between 2001 and 2004 and is currently Deputy Inspector-General, CID, Hyderabad, of this aspect of the efforts made by police to contain naxalism.
In politics, seeking people’s support from public fora is a routine feature as politicians accuse or ‘expose’ their opponents in act which they term as a trial in people’s court.
The ‘verdict’ is handed over by people in the shape of a positive or negative vote for the leader and the party concerned in the immediate elections.
The proposed ‘praja court’ at Mancherial promises to be different in that the TRS seeks concurrence of the people of the constituency from where Mr. Arvind Reddy has been elected on the issue of his penalisation for his alleged ‘anti-party’ averments.
Though this system of settling disputes through popular consent has been in existence in the shape of community panchayats, only the Left wing extremists have used these ‘summary trials’ as tools of speedy dispensation of justice that also accrued some mileage for them.
Until about five years ago, ‘praja courts’ were held in the North Telangana countryside by naxalites of the then CPI(ML) People’s War Group and other outfits like Janashakti. These courts, comprising a select groups of journalists as invitees and villagers concerned as jury, witnessed open trials wherein ‘moles’ or other suspects were punished by ‘common consent’. The system went out of vogue as the influence of extremists began to wane in the Telangana districts.‘Rai centres’
“We had revived the Rai centres (councils of elders) and the Darbars at Keslapu Jatara and at the martyrdom anniversary of Komram Bheem at Jodeghat in the tribal areas of Adilabad district in order to counter the increasing acceptance of ‘praja courts’. Settling of petty compoundable disputes, allowed through these rejuvenated forums resembled speedy dispensation of justice,” recalled Mahesh M. Bhagwat, who was Adilabad SP between 2001 and 2004 and is currently Deputy Inspector-General, CID, Hyderabad, of this aspect of the efforts made by police to contain naxalism.
In politics, seeking people’s support from public fora is a routine feature as politicians accuse or ‘expose’ their opponents in act which they term as a trial in people’s court.
The ‘verdict’ is handed over by people in the shape of a positive or negative vote for the leader and the party concerned in the immediate elections.
The proposed ‘praja court’ at Mancherial promises to be different in that the TRS seeks concurrence of the people of the constituency from where Mr. Arvind Reddy has been elected on the issue of his penalisation for his alleged ‘anti-party’ averments.
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