Can't get over the judgement delivered today. If they are guilty, conduct a speedy trial and give them the strictest punishment possible as per the laws of the land. But to keep them in jail for years together without a trial is a tragedy far bigger than just the unfair incarceration of a few. However big a disaster this is for Umar Khalid, Sharjeel Imam and the others, for India as a nation, it is bigger, it symbolises a precipitous fall, a negation of everything that a liberal, free and equitable society stands for. It may well be a portend of a fate that many nations have unfortunately been through, nations we had once mocked. This goes far beyond than being a travesty of justice, there is a sneaking feeling that maybe if a proper trial is conducted it might be revealed that the cases against them were built on sand. It is also to ensure that educated, articulate and rational Muslim youngsters always stay silent and never fight for what is right. The symbolism and message conveyed in this persecution comes across loud and clear. It's a shame.
