Hindi English Translation || Editorial || Crime and time: On election-time incarceration

Crime and time: On election-time incarceration

Election-time incarceration (कारावास) adversely (प्रतिकूल) affects democratic spirit (भावना)

Any inconsistency (असंगतता) in judicial decisions is bound to (निश्चित) be seen as unequal application (अनुप्रयोग) of rules. On the principle of parity (समानता), former Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren, who leads the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha, is arguably (यकीनन) entitled (अधिकार देना) to interim (अंतरिम) bail (जमानत) to enable (सक्षम बनाना) him to campaign (अभियान) in his home State for the next phases of the general election, from May 20. Mr. Soren was arrested on January 31. It was only last week that the Supreme Court of India underscored (रेखांकित करना) the importance of the general election to grant bail to Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal up to (तक) the end of the polls. Although the opinion was based on “the peculiarities of the person in question (being discussed, under discussion, under consideration) and the surrounding circumstances (conditions, situations, context)”, a principle (morality, ethics, uprightness, virtue) did emerge from that ruling (judgment, adjudication, verdict) that key (important) leaders could be allowed to campaign in the interest of (in order to achieve something; for the sake of; as an advantage to something) electoral democracy (it describes a democratic government based on a system that enables all citizens to select one candidate from a list of competitors for political office. The process is called an election. Each citizen becomes a voter who casts a secret ballot with their choices). However, the Court chose the position that it first needs to hear the other side, the Enforcement Directorate in this case. Even though it favoured (support, back, advocate, subscribe to, stand up for, recommend, champion) a hearing (inquiry, legal proceedings, legal investigation) in the week beginning May 20, it agreed to an earlier date, May 17. It is indeed (in fact, actually) a legal requirement that any order of bail can be given only after hearing the prosecution’s (the process of holding a trial against a person who is accused of a crime to see if that person is guilty; legal action, legal proceeding, legal case) objections (opposition, disapproval, disagreement, difference of opinion). In Mr. Kejriwal’s case, the Court heard and rejected the argument that freeing a political leader solely (only, simply, merely) for the purpose of canvassing (campaigning, electioneering) votes during an election will amount to (be equal to, be equivalent to, be tantamount to, represent) privileging (to give an advantage/concession to) the political class above other categories of people arrested for similar offences (crime, illegal/unlawful act, wrongdoing).

The Jharkhand High Court did not deliver judgment on the petition (appeal, plea, request, application, supplication) challenging Mr. Soren’s arrest for two months, resulting in a delay in his approaching the Supreme Court. Ultimately (finally, lastly), it passed an order dismissing (reject, deny, repudiate, disregard, brush off) his plea on May 3, having reserved (put aside, set aside, hold back, withhold) its verdict on February 28. It is true that no two cases are comparable. While the Delhi Chief Minister is facing the charge (accusation, allegation) of bribery (corruption, graft, hush money) in exchange for adopting (approve, agree to, accept) an excise policy favourable to some manufacturers, Mr. Soren is accused of laundering (move illegally acquired funds secretly into legal bank accounts or investments) the proceeds (the amount of money received from an event/activity or from the sale of goods or services; income, revenue, profit, earnings, returns, gains) of crime in the illegal sale of a parcel of land to acquire (obtain, get) property in Ranchi. With the prosecution depending mainly on approvers’ statements against Mr. Kejriwal, and the agency banking on documentary evidence (any evidence that is, or can be, introduced at a trial in the form of documents, as distinguished from oral testimony/evidence) against Mr. Soren, there may be differences in the respective merits (an essential inherent quality (rights and wrongs only) while evaluating a case (not by external aspects)) of their cases. The stringent (strict, severe, extreme, rigorous) provisions (term, clause, requirement, specification, stipulation) for bail in the Prevention of Money Laundering Act have the unfortunate effect of making courts consider the overall merits of a case at the bail stage itself. It is unfortunate that the relatively (comparatively, somewhat, reasonably, in a certain degree, more or less) simple act of releasing the accused (the suspected person) against bail bonds, with attendant (accompanying, associated, related, connected, resultant, consequent) conditions to safeguard (protect, secure) evidence and prevent them from fleeing (escape, abscond, run away, take flight, leave abruptly/hastily) justice, has become politically sensitive. Election-time incarceration, which renders (give, provide, cause to be/become) the playing field disadvantageous to the affected parties, adversely affects the democratic spirit.

Courtesy: The Hindu

Important Word List With Meaning

1.incarceration (noun)

Hindi Meaning - कारावास
English Meaning - confinement, custody, detention, restraint, arrest, imprisonment.

2.adversely (adverb)

Hindi Meaning - प्रतिकूल
English Meaning - unfavourably, disadvantageously, badly.

3.spirit (noun)

Hindi Meaning - भावना
English Meaning - ethos, beliefs, principles, ethics, atmosphere, feeling.

4.inconsistency (noun)

Hindi Meaning - असंगतता
English Meaning - discrepancy, incongruity, incompatibility, disagreement, difference.

5.bound to (adjective)

Hindi Meaning - निश्चित
English Meaning - sure, likely, guaranteed.

6.application (noun)

Hindi Meaning - अनुप्रयोग
English Meaning - use, implementation, carrying out, administration.

7.parity (noun)

Hindi Meaning - समानता
English Meaning - a state of being equal; a quality of being equivalent.

8.arguably (adverb)

Hindi Meaning - यकीनन
English Meaning - perhaps, likely, probably, maybe.

9.entitle (verb)

Hindi Meaning - अधिकार देना
English Meaning - grant, allow, permit.

10.interim (adjective)

Hindi Meaning - अंतरिम
English Meaning - provisional, temporary, short-term, transitional.

11.bail (noun)

Hindi Meaning - जमानत
English Meaning - conditional, temporary release of an arrested/imprisoned person when a specified amount of security is deposited or pledged (as cash or property) to ensure his/her appearance in court when required.

12.enable (verb)

Hindi Meaning - सक्षम बनाना
English Meaning - permit, validate, authorize, facilitate.

13.campaign (noun)

Hindi Meaning - अभियान
English Meaning - canvassing, electioneering, an act of soliciting (asking for/requesting) votes; an organized effort that seeks to influence the decision-making progress within a specific group.

14.underscore (verb)

Hindi Meaning - रेखांकित करना
English Meaning - emphasis, highlight, underline, accentuate, point up.

15.up to (preposition)

Hindi Meaning - तक
English Meaning - until, till.

16.peculiarity (noun)

English Meaning - characteristic, (essential) quality, trait, nature, particularity.

17.in question (phrase)

English Meaning - being discussed, under discussion, under consideration.

18.circumstances (noun)

English Meaning - conditions, situations, context.

19.principle (noun)

English Meaning - morality, ethics, uprightness, virtue.

20.ruling (noun)

English Meaning - judgment, adjudication, verdict.

21.key (adjective)

English Meaning - important.

22.in the interest of (phrase)

English Meaning - in order to achieve something; for the sake of; as an advantage to something.

23.electoral democracy (noun)

English Meaning - it describes a democratic government based on a system that enables all citizens to select one candidate from a list of competitors for political office. The process is called an election. Each citizen becomes a voter who casts a secret ballot with their choices.

24.Enforcement Directorate (ED) (noun)

English Meaning - Directorate of Enforcement is a specialized financial investigation agency under the Department of Revenue, Ministry of Finance, Government of India. It was established in the year 1956 with its Headquarters at New Delhi. It is responsible for enforcement of the Foreign Exchange Management Act, 1999 (FEMA) (Civil Law) and certain provisions under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002 (PMLA) (Criminal Law).

25.favour (verb)

English Meaning - support, back, advocate, subscribe to, stand up for, recommend, champion.

26.hearing (noun)

English Meaning - inquiry, legal proceedings, legal investigation.

27.indeed (adverb)

English Meaning - in fact, actually.

28.prosecution (noun)

English Meaning - the process of holding a trial against a person who is accused of a crime to see if that person is guilty; legal action, legal proceeding, legal case.

29.objection (noun)

English Meaning - opposition, disapproval, disagreement, difference of opinion.

30.solely (adverb)

English Meaning - only, simply, merely.

31.canvassing (noun)

English Meaning - campaigning, electioneering.

32.canvass (verb)

English Meaning - campaign, solicit votes.

33.amount to (verb)

English Meaning - be equal to, be equivalent to, be tantamount to, represent.

34.privilege (verb)

English Meaning - to give an advantage/concession to.

35.offence (noun)

English Meaning - crime, illegal/unlawful act, wrongdoing.

36.petition (noun)

English Meaning - appeal, plea, request, application, supplication.

37.result in (verb)

English Meaning - cause, lead to, bring about, give rise to.

38.ultimately (adverb)

English Meaning - finally, lastly.

39.dismiss (verb)

English Meaning - reject, deny, repudiate, disregard, brush off.

40.reserve (verb)

English Meaning - put aside, set aside, hold back, withhold.

41.charge (noun)

English Meaning - accusation, allegation.

42.adopt (verb)

English Meaning - approve, agree to, accept.

43.bribery (noun)

English Meaning - corruption, graft, hush money.

44.launder (verb)

English Meaning - move illegally acquired funds secretly into legal bank accounts or investments.

45.proceeds (noun)

English Meaning - the amount of money received from an event/activity or from the sale of goods or services; income, revenue, profit, earnings, returns, gains.

46.acquire (verb)

English Meaning - obtain, get.

47.bank on (phrasal verb)

English Meaning - rely on, depend on.

48.documentary evidence (noun)

English Meaning - any evidence that is, or can be, introduced at a trial in the form of documents, as distinguished from oral testimony/evidence.

49.merits (noun)

English Meaning - an essential inherent quality (rights and wrongs only) while evaluating a case (not by external aspects).

50.stringent (adjective)

English Meaning - strict, severe, extreme, rigorous.

51.provision (noun)

English Meaning - term, clause, requirement, specification, stipulation.

52.Prevention of Money-Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002 (noun)

English Meaning - It is an Act of the Parliament of India enacted by the NDA government to prevent money-laundering and to provide for confiscation of property derived from money-laundering.

53.relatively (adverb)

English Meaning - comparatively, somewhat, reasonably, in a certain degree, more or less.

54.the accused (noun)

English Meaning - the suspected person.

55.attendant (adjective)

English Meaning - accompanying, associated, related, connected, resultant, consequent.

56.safeguard (verb)

English Meaning - protect, secure.

57.flee (verb)

English Meaning - escape, abscond, run away, take flight, leave abruptly/hastily.

58.render (verb)

English Meaning - give, provide, cause to be/become.

59.a level playing field (phrase)

English Meaning - a situation in which everyone has the equal chance of succeeding.