Oaths in Courts ( Between The Lines ) I hereby state in the name of God by: B.S.Dhillon On the Election Day during the last Assembly elections, I was coming to Chandigarh by car from my village Kot Fatta. In the way I was crossing an assembly segment of my known candidate. The younger brother of the candidate was my college mate. He was in charge of election compaign.Due to the fear of election commission, the candidates and their supporters were moving in the cars without flags and banners. It was about evening when I reached that city. The sun was setting in the west and it seemed as if it was hiding and was crying after having seen the way Indian elections were being held. As it was an election day so the roads were not busy, only the vehicles concerned with elections were plying.I had enough time to reach home at Chandigarh so I turned towards election office to meet my friend. They were three or four persons sitting there. Major Singh was giving instructions to one person and all other workers were busy in taking the maximum voters to polling booths on their vehicles. They all were happy. Major Singh told me that as per reports from the field our candidate was winning and the election was going smoothly and peacefully. But they don’t want to take any risk. We hardly had finished our tea when there came a worker from the field who told us breathlessly that about 200-250 voters of Bauria caste were sitting together in the Dharmshala (a rest house for marriage parties) and not going to polling booth. They were waiting for bribe. I accompanied my friend in the car and started towards the polling booth. In the way he was telling me, although “we will definitely win, but 200-250 votes are not a small counting. So we will not take any risk. After winning, our brother will become minister too. He has his direct links with high Command”. I was saying ‘yes’, infect I was not interested at all and I wanted to rest, in the office but he was forcing me to accompany him on the broken road, while I was counting the luxuries of the office where we were having tea a couple of minutes before.The car stopped before the ‘Dharmshala’ gate. Some people were sitting on uncovered cots. They shake hands with us. Their leader was a village panch.The tea was served in brass glasses. They had about fifty houses in the village. They wanted to buy some utensils and ‘tents’ for the Dharmshala and if we pay for all that then they were ready to vote collectively for our candidate. The politicians themselves had started this custom in earlier elections to fulfill the needs of the villagers, such as paying money for dharmshalas, utensils, tents etc to villagers in lieu of that they used to vote collectively for the concerned candidate. Major Singh made calculations like a businessman. Total expenses for all this was about twenty to twenty five thousands. So cost of one vote was about one hundred Rupees. The rate of last night was three hundred rupees per vote. If we had to pay for every voter individually then we would have to spend three times more. Major Singh was thinking that, this bargaining is not bad after all. He was talking with sympathy to show that this was a genuine demand. After all Brats stay in the Dharmshala and Daughters, sisters of all are common. He immediately said yes and offered money. The crowd was murmuring that what ever is offered today should be received, after elections no one will bother them. It was happening with them since independence. Night is over talk is over.Now it was a problem of money. Major Singh had one bundle of notes only. No time was left to go for taking money from office. So rest amount of twelve thousands was to be paid next day. But under the circumstances no one was ready to trust. The workers of apposite party were moving nearby. At last both the parties agreed to swear in the name of god.Major Singh dictated the car driver to bring Gutka (a small book) from the car. He brought gutka wrapped in silky handkerchief. First the leaders of Baurian took oath by keeping their hands on gutka. Then it was our turn. Major Singh asked me to take oath as it was same thing. I gave him a bad look. Why he took me along with him only to swear? I did not want to take oath. It was neither my nature nor responsibility. Generally common man avoids taking oath. But my refusal would have given wrong signal to voters. So I decided to take oath.Thereafter I swore in the name of God by keeping my hand on gutka, that ‘our candidate wins or looses we will definitely pay the remaining amount’. But my writer mind was trembling. So like Yudhishtra in the Kurukshetra I murmured in the mouth, “Dear god I am not responsible”. Thereafter we started back.In the way I was silent and abusing myself for this swearing and at the same time was consoling myself saying, all the elected candidates take oath during their election petitions in the courts that “My statement is in the name of God” (Jo kuch kahanga dharma nal such kahanga) when all know no one can win a case on true statement. It is only a legal formality. So I should not fear.Major Singh and car driver were talking that all these voters will not vote for us, because some voters wanted to take money individually not for joint purpose. Major Singh said, “does not matter if half of them caste vote it was sufficient, we too will not pay them the remaining amount. I became angry and tried to open the door, asked them to stop the car. I said. “I knew it from the very beginning. You get votes and asked me to swear freely”.The circumstances were tense. Major Singh caught my arm and directed the driver not to stop the car. Then he asked driver to give him gutka.he opened the silky hander kerchief and shown me the book. It was not gutka.it was a small size oxford dictionary for children. (The writer is a Lawyer and Freelancer writer) e-mail: dhillonak@yahoo
Posted on: Mon, 23 Sep 2013 03:15:44 +0000
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