| Published on 12-02-2008 In National |
| Viewed 1138 times |
| Road-map of the rap of the tap |
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Written by
Cho Ramaswamy |
This is not the first time that a government has been charged with tapping of telephones.
Similar allegations have dogged many regimes in several states and numerous times at the Centre. Now it has been laid at the door of the Karunanidhi-led government of Tamil Nadu.
Deccan Chronicle – a local newspaper published numbers of mobile phones owned by politicians and members of the press in Chennai.
When the issue was raised in the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly, the Chief Minister bluntly denied it.
This course of action isn't a novelty either.
No government has ever admitted such an arraignment by saying, "Of course we did eavesdrop on conversations and it is indeed a terrible mistake!"
"These are baseless allegations without an iota of truth. Overhearing conversations has never been our political culture," or so has been the refrain of all ruling arrangements that came to be accused of this deed.
Karunanidhi has played true to established form.
I do not know anything about the justifications of these charges or its refutations.
I only am aware that all governments indulge in this all the time. The only changes in the script are that the tapped numbers would be different to suit the needs of the party in power.
The law allows this practice subject to a rider. This includes include a reasonably apprehension of a danger to public order and peace.
The statute stipulates that such incidences are necessitated by a challenge to our national defence, treacherous activities, attempts to overthrow a democratically elected government and antisocial activity just because the founding fathers of our constitution believed that governments needed to be forewarned about such pitfalls.
But then, just because the law allows an extraordinary act, its rampant misuse is our established democratic habit.
The alibis provided by certain provisions in the law are abused by our politicians to find out as to whether their opponents, critical journalists, inconvenient industrialists, et al can be snared into an uncomfortable, compromising position.
In a nutshell, they are a clear misuse of power.
However, to right the wrong of regular misuse, a call for the abrogation of such a law is equally fallacious.
Countless varieties of extremists are operating in the length and breadth of the nation. Their handymen are indulging in innumerable methods of perfidy to help them achieve their nefarious ends. Criminal gangs are free as air and dime a dozen. The less said about political parties' parochial acts of one-upmanship the better because their actions are more twisted than the old fashioned handles used to start archaic automobiles. In the name of a democratic struggle, leaders of all hues breach the law to feather their nests through foul means that are bound to unsettle the normal rhythm of life.
In such environs, a contrivance to overhear conversations is a useful weapon in the hands of the police and the governments that control them.
Prior knowledge of such sinister designs will indeed benefit any government to plot its options to avoid catastrophes.
Insofar as these measures aren't used for the benefit of a ruling party's political agenda, there is no currency in opposing it tooth and nail.
(Translated from Thuglak by TSV Hari)
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