My heart goes out to Vishal and Pakhi Agarwal. Friday marks one month since their 26-year-old son Ketan, heir to the family’s real estate business, was found dead in a deep, jagged gorge below Lohagarh Fort near Pune. Investigators suspect he was murdered — allegedly in a premeditated conspiracy involving his fiancée, Siya Goyal, and her supposed accomplice, Chetan Chaudhary.
Both accused remain in judicial custody at Yerwada Central Jail while the Pune Rural Police continue what appears to be a painstaking investigation, separating fact from speculation before filing what they hope will be an airtight chargesheet before the Vadgaon Maval Court in Lonavla. The prosecution is expected to be led by veteran legal mastermind Ujjwal Nikam.
As if losing a son was not enough, tragedy struck the Agarwal family again just 17 days later. Ketan’s grandfather, Devichand Agarwal, died after reportedly suffering a massive cardiac arrest brought on by the emotional shock of his grandson’s sudden death. Two generations were lost within weeks, leaving a family trying to make sense of grief that few could imagine.
Seeking a fast-track trial and speedy justice, Ketan’s father Vishal Agarwal has written to President Draupadi Murmu with a simple appeal: “I am not asking for any special treatment. I am just a father seeking justice for my son. Please don’t let his case become just another file. Behind this is a family that has lost everything.” It is impossible not to understand that plea. But this is also where emotion meets the architecture of Indian law.
As an editor of news, allow me to take you inside what happens next. Even if this case is assigned to a fast-track court, speed has its limits. Should the trial end in conviction, and the sentence is the maximum permitted by law, the legal process is far from over. A death sentence must first be confirmed by the High Court. Thereafter come appeals before the Supreme Court, followed, if pursued by Siya and Chetan, by review and curative petitions, and finally mercy petitions before the Governor and the President.
That is not a flaw in the system. It is how the system was designed. When the State exercises its gravest power over an individual, the law insists on exhausting every safeguard before that punishment becomes irreversible.
We saw this in the Nirbhaya case. We saw it after the conviction of 26/11 terrorist Ajmal Kasab. Even cases that appeared overwhelmingly clear took years to travel through every constitutional stage before reaching their conclusion.
Vishal Agarwal has asked only that justice should not be delayed. Every parent who has followed this tragedy understands why. Yet justice in India was never designed to be swift at the cost of certainty. It was designed to ensure that when the final judgment is delivered, no reasonable doubt has been left unexplored. That principle protects every citizen. It offers little solace, however, to a father whose own sentence began the day he lost his son.
About Mark Manuel
The above thoughts/content has been proudly copied from the wall of Sir Mark Manuel. Being interviewing almost every role model of this country and going stronger each day. Mark Manuel is a respected Mumbai editor, writer, and columnist.
With over three decades of journalism in leading publications. This includes the Free Press Journal, Times, Dainik Bhaskar, Mid-Day, and Afternoon. He is famous for his brilliant pen interviews. He himself is a TEDx speaker.
Further
His interviews have featured in several leading media houses. They include the Hindustan Times, Huffington Post, BBC, and Network 18. Almost every famous person has been interviewed by him in the country from Mother Teresa to Muhammad Ali. His first book is just out. It’s titled Moryaa Re! It is a crime thriller that is perhaps the country’s first police procedural. He began his career covering crime. And in a tribute to his experience and knowledge of this beat.
Several distinguished officers of the Mumbai Police and its Crime Branch collaborated with him to make this book possible. Amitabh Bachchan wrote the forward in a statement of friendship for Mark Manuel and admiration for his work.
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