Belagavi: A renowned public prosecutor, Ujjwal Nikam, who helped prosecute many terrorists, has termed the killing of rationalists like Narendra Dabholkar, Govind Pansare, M.M. Kalburgi and Gauri Lankesh as incidents that brought disrepute to a democratic setup and are also a hurdle in the process of growth.
At a press conference in Belagavi, Mr Nikam said that governments asking the police to expedite investigations into such killings and nab the culprits may not be wrong, but the possibility of innocent people getting caught in such cases is higher when the police come under political pressure. In such critical situations, chances of real culprits going scot-free are more, he said. On the complicated process of extradition of criminals from other countries, he said that there is a need to simplify legal formalities for extradition to ensure that the accused in high-profile cases, wanted by Indian investigative agencies, are brought back. Before the escaped criminals start finding the foreign nations as safe havens, Indian authorities should workout plans to get them back, he said.
The government should follow the legal recourse only as per the Indian laws whenever it decided to extradite any of the accused , he said. The entire legal process and hearing of the accused should be done as per the country's laws without giving any scope to foreign laws, he said. On the role of the media in adhering to principles of democracy, he said that the social media creates havoc these days as it does not have any limitations. Any form of media that crosses the limit can create chaos and affect the law and order situation, he said, warning against resorting to politics in the name of religion, caste and creed.
