The learned judge at the International Court at Hague, relaxed at his club somewhere in the Netherlands. He was joined by an Indian lawyer, “Thank you, your honour for your judgement on the spy case!” said the attorney.

“You Indians are pretty good, arguing cases!” smiled the judge.

“We have many years of practice sir!” said the lawyer, ordering himself and the judge a round of drinks.

“Yes, since you got your freedom in the forties isn’t it?” asked the judge.

“No, many years, since most casesat hometake over fifteen years for a verdict!”

“Whoa! Whoa! But you guys wanted your spy verdict within a week, and I gave it to you!” said the judge. “I think I saved your man from hanging?”

“Yes, and we are very grateful!” said the lawyer. “But if the case was argued in my homeland, we would have been mourning his silver death anniversary by the time the judgement was out!” whispered the lawyer.

“But you claim to be a democracy?” asked the puzzled judge.

“A lopsided one!” said the Indian lawyer sadly, “We vote our representatives in with precision and regularity, but alas,deliver judgements in sporadic outbursts, with intervals of a decade or more!”

“Then,” said the judge sadly, “You are not a democracy!”

“Of course we are!” said the lawyer angrily.“Have a look at our constitution, it says so!”

“A constitution is a useless piece of paper, unless put to work with speed! Democracy,” said the wise judge, “requires popular rule, balanced with speedy justice!”

“Justice delayed, is justice denied!” whispered the lawyer.

“How would you have liked it, if the case you just argued had taken fifteen years? Would it have been fair to India or even to Pakistan?”

“We would have tried to settle it with arms and bloodshed or appealing to superpowers like America or China!” said the lawyer nodding.

“Which is what politicians like to become!” whispered the judge, “They want, not just to be law makers, but your super-powerful law settlers too. They will promise you more bridges, more trains, more highways, but no courts, no justice, because then power remains in their hands!”

“We have courts! We have judges! Look, I am a lawyer in my country!” said the attorney.

“Yes you are,” said the judge, “And be grateful for such international courts as ours, or you would never have had this live experience of seeing a successful outcome to a case, as you’d have been dead by the time a verdict was out in your homeland..!”

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