It is so much disgusting to hear the unjustifiable verdicts passed on by our honorable judges these days. Not only they shake down their own credibility as law men, they also undermine the very integrity of our judiciary system and send shivers down the spine of our humble people who will be relying on the judiciary system for a fair and a just society.  This is the time where the judiciary system is going to play a powerful pivotal role in the process of democratization. We are relying on the judiciary system to play a God father role in our country when it is embarking on the maiden voyage of democracy whereby our country will be prone to corruption and injustice than ever before in the history. And, this is what we hear every day. It’s horrifying.

In the Phobjikha land case, the Yab, the Dzongdag Pema Dorji and the Drangpon Kuenzang Tobgye were all acquitted of any wrong doing despite the fact that they were all parties involved in the wrong doing. What they did was wrong and so someone else was convicted of the wrong doing, but they were not convicted!! I do not see the mention of the following clauses in our Thrimshung Chenmo.

1.  The DOERS are not wrong even if the DONE is wrong
2.  If you can convict one humble DOER, the rest of the powerful DOERS will be acquitted of any crime
3.  If you can convict one DOER, the rest of the DOERS will not be convicted
4.  If you can not convict any DOERs, then all the DOERs will be not be convicted
5.  The only one caught in the act is convicted. The parties involved in the conspiracy will all be acquitted.
6.  Only the criminal acts are accountable to justice. Criminal intentions, conspiracy, contemplation of plots are not.

How can you condemn the Chimmi when he was just following the orders? Yab should be charged because he contemplated the plan, Pem L Dorji engineered the plot, Kuenzang Tobgye arranged the legal formalities, and the Chimmi was just the handy boy running between them. In the end, it’s pathetic only the Chimmi was convicted.

In the latest illegal case of land transfer in Thimphu by the town planner Tshering Phuntsho, only he was convicted of the crime. The verdict does not mention a slightest hint of wrong doing by the Speaker. Now any person with some functional cortex in his cranial vault can see that Tshering Phuntsho would not have done it if the Speaker Dasho Ugen Dorji did not request him to do, may be as a favor, or indirectly force him to do by mis-using his official capacity as the Speaker. Dasho Ugen Dorji should be convicted for a greater crime because he as National Assembly Speaker who is presently in office holding the constitutional post and who should be fully aware of the rules and regulations of this country is himself encouraging corruption and got involved into it. It is very sickening that people who committed greater crimes are acquitted and people who committed minor crimes are hanged.

I am losing faith in our Judiciary.