Opinion - Letters to the Editor

Justice delayed

The story of 79-year-old Machang Lalung who spent “A lifetime in illegal detention” in Assam (July 1) was heartrending. That a 23-year-old man was abandoned for five-and-a-half decades in prison as an undertrial and forgotten is a sad commentary of our justice and bureaucratic system. It is a matter of pride that a documentary based on his life has won recognition at the Boston International Film Festival. But what comfort can that bring to the old man or his relatives now?

Machang’s life reinforces the fact that while rich and powerful criminals can walk tall and free under our system, the destitute and the helpless can never hope to get justice or reap the benefits of a free and democratic India. Machang should be compensated with a decent life even though he may not have many years left to live. Just as medical graduates are made to undergo compulsory rural service, law graduates should be made to undergo compulsory training in expediting the cases of undertrials.

E.P. Lalitha,
Hyderabad

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