Rule of law only in words? FIR registered after 48 hours, no action on six complaints against ruling ally MLA

Tall claims about the rule of law continue to be made, but the ground reality appears starkly different. Even after 48 hours, police action remains absent despite the registration of an FIR filed by a senior editor against a ruling party MLA. The FIR was registered by AD Nagar police station in Agartala, yet no further action had been taken till Tuesday noon.

At the same time, six separate complaints submitted by the editor of a television news channel have not even been taken into cognizance by the police, raising serious questions about the functioning of law enforcement agencies in the state.

The delay has triggered concerns over whether holding a constitutional post place an individual above the law. Questions are being raised over whether an acting Speaker of the Assembly can openly issue threats without accountability, and which provision of the Constitution grants such authority.

During a public gathering, the acting Speaker allegedly used a microphone to threaten that neither prominent personalities nor the chief of the state would be able to protect senior journalist Sanit Debroy. Although the FIR regarding the threat has been registered, no action has followed even after two days.

In another alarming incident on February 14, a crowd gathered outside the journalist-editor’s residence near Mouchak Club in the Bardowali area of Agartala. Posters bearing a cross mark over the journalist’s photograph were pasted in what resembled a militant-style warning, clearly indicating a threat to his life. Despite the seriousness of the incident, no action has been initiated so far.

A parallel controversy involves another ruling ally MLA, known for aggressive conduct. A television channel had reported that the MLA possesses Bangladeshi citizenship. If the report is incorrect, legal remedies remain available. Instead, the MLA has allegedly resorted to spreading defamatory remarks against the channel’s editor.

The channel has raised a direct question to the MLA regarding the passport used for international travel to Geneva, stating that producing an Indian passport would immediately put the matter to rest. By maligning journalists, it is argued, the dignity of the legislative office itself stands compromised.

Observers note that just as journalists cannot write indiscriminately, elected representatives too are bound by constitutional and legal limits. When those limits are crossed, the law must take its course. However, in this case, the guardians of the law appear reluctant to act.

Despite six written complaints filed by the television editor, not a single case has been registered. A delegation of journalists later met Director General of Police Anurag Dhankar, who reportedly assured action. Yet, even after 72 hours, those assurances remain unfulfilled, with the official response described as vague and inconclusive.

When the fourth pillar of democracy begins to doubt the rule of law, the implications for ordinary citizens are grave. The situation, critics say, reflects a system where the rule of law exists in words, but inertia prevails in action.