The pre-emptive move by the Centre to transfer the Elgar Parishad cases to the National Investigation Agency (NIA) effectively means that the arrested activists will remain confined to their prison cells for some more time. The activists themselves would much prefer to be exonerated by a court than to owe their freedom and liberty to a fortuitous change in the composition of the State government. The cases bristle with many infirmities and appear prima facie to be built more on conjecture than any tangible evidence. How long the NIA would take to complete its investigations is anybody’s guess. Surely, the cases do not speak well of a justice delivery system that commits its citizens to the rigours of an extended jail term without giving them the benefit of a fair and speedy trial or even bail (Editorial, “Dubious decision,” Jan. 27).
R. Ravichandran,
Chennai
