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New Delhi: There can
be no peaceful transition in the Indian society without total
political change, says former solicitor general Gopal Subramaniam.
"If it (political change) does not happen, we will not have a
peaceful transition of society. Young people are restless," he
said at a seminar on 'Society in Transition and Police Reforms'
here Saturday.
"We are living in a society where criminality is a trade of
police, government and political class," he said.
Thirty-one percent of legislators had criminal background, with 20
percent charged with murder, rape, extortion, and cheating, he
said.
What is the assurance that people with such credentials do not
defeat the administration of criminal justice system, Subramaniam
asked.
Advocating empowerment of the Comptroller and Auditor General to
verify financial details furnished by politicians in election
affidavits, Subramaniam said the Election Commission was not
looking into this aspect.
He said the commission officials admitted not doing so when they
appeared before the Justice J.S. Verma panel set up after the
Delhi gang-rape case. Subramaniam was a member of the panel.
He said the focus should be on women's empowerment and tracing
missing children.
"Political equality of women entails political empowerment and
requires amendments to the Representation of the People Act," he
said.
Referring to exploitation of women in shelter homes, Subramaniam
referred to Apna Ghar in Rohtak district of Haryana from where
women were being supplied for sexual exploitation.
He said till date, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) had
not filed a charge sheet in the case.
The blame also lay with the civil society, he said.
"If there was a strong and vibrant society, it could have
prevented the exploitation of women and missing children going
untraced years after years."
He said no party said yes to recommendations of the Verma
committee to bring a bill for rights of women.
He exhorted the civil society, saying: "We have a role to ensure
in preventing any attempt to frustrate the recommendation of the
committee on the women rights".
Human rights activist Maja Daruwala said reforms were not just for
the sake of reforms but for the safety of women.
Right from 1903, there is talk for reforming the police, but
nothing has happened, she said.
"If you don't change the political system, you will never be able
to change the police; and if you don't change police, you can't
address the problem of safety of women, missing children and
vulnerable sections."
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