Clearing the air

Judge Saini’s clear-headed judgment sets some useful terms for further progress on the 2G case. It sorts out many of the tangled associations of corruption in the 2G scam. It warned against smearing someone as guilty by association (“innocuous acts done in association with others do not make one a partner in crime”); the fact that some pecuniary advantage or abuse of official position must be proved before accusing a public official of corruption. It also made a clear distinction between Chidambaram and the other accused,against whom there is seriously incriminating material.

The verdict should bring some sense of proportion to the politics around the 2G scam. For months,the opposition has vilified the home minister,treating him as guilty before any legal process touched him,even boycotting Parliament if he participated. This campaign might suit their purposes,to make sure that the muck from the scam implicates the entire government,the Congress as well as Raja’s DMK. But the court’s verdict should settle the question. For the Congress and its beleaguered government,too,this is a chance to pull itself out of the hole which it has driven itself into. Of course,Swamy has vowed to soldier on against Chidambaram in court,the BJP says that it will “pursue the matter before the people”,the Left has suggested that it is unconvinced. But the court’s word should finally separate the facts from the political hot air.