THE arrest of economic offender Mehul Choksi by the Belgian authorities on India’s extradition request is a step forward in bringing to justice everybody who harms national interests in this or that way. The arrest on Saturday -- was confirmed by the Belgian Federal Public Service of Justice -- proves that India has been pursuing its agenda of correction of the wrong on economic front (by whosoever) in all sincerity. This arrest also tells the story of how Mehul Choksi had been evading being booked in different countries because of the smart moves he made taking undue advantage of local legal loopholes. Yet, even as Choksi did all those tricks to escape the law, Indian agencies were all the time chasing him everywhere, attempting to block his way and bring to justice taking the help of the law of the land where Choksi was that time entrenched. On many occasions, the Indian agencies saved the situation at the nick of time by using right means at right time.

 

The arrest by the Belgian authorities, too, came in such a manner -- thanks to the relentless and meticulous pursuit of the economic offender by the Indian agencies over time, across geographies. Since the arrest has taken place following India’s request for Choksi’s extradition, it is commonly understood that he would be brought to India in right time for further trials as per Indian law. True, that legal course may be protracted, so to say, but justice would finally be done much to everybody’s satisfaction. That action, too, will have a positive effect on the larger social mind as well as create a sense of scare in the community of economic offenders. The message would be that the Indian authorities spare no one and no effort to ensure that justice prevails.

 

Most unfortunately, the political Opposition in India is a terribly impatient group that is very good with giving knee-jerk reactions to issues and developments. Even as Mehul Choksi made a sly exit from India following the exposure of the massive fraud he had played upon the banks, the Opposition spared no words or no efforts to blame the Government headed by Prime Minister Mr. Narendra Modi for its so-called failure to nab economic offenders or to bring them back to India if they had fled from the country. In fact, some offenders had made their sly way out of the country during the earlier regime of Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh as well. Yet, Mr. Narendra Modi kept on getting the blame -- to which he did not bother to respond (because he knew the reality better than anybody else). The Government worked patiently and painstakingly to chase most offenders and has been able to bring some of them to justice -- like 26/11 mastermind Tahawwur Hussain Rana.

 

It is surprising that the Opposition pulls a blind-fold on its own eyes and refuses to see the reality as it is. Instead, it spends all its energies in distorting facts -- in a childish attempt to draw the attention of the unsuspecting, innocent common people to its point of view. At least so far, all this spreading of falsehood does not seem to have attracted much clientele from the public. In fact, the common people realise the Government’s sincerity and appreciates it. In right time, Mehul Choksi would be brought back to India, for sure, just as it was done in Tahawwur Rana’s case. Though to some the trial process may look long-drawn, the Government will have to build a fool-proof case against the offender -- any offender, so to say. It is important to note that in recent times, the legal process has been fairly expedited. That also may help the authorities to expose Choksi’s modus operandi and assure the common public that systems are working well. Of course, the common people may realise the facts, but the Opposition is most likely not to.