Bent Scales

Anni Hindocha smiles in the background, as her father Vinod surveys the bent scales. Astride the scales, Judge Riddle, and with all the balance their way – Michael Kopelman and Nigel Eastman with the unkempt image that Shrien Dewani now chooses to present in public…

The Long Bent Arm of the Law

 
 
It is now more than two years since the murder of newly-wed Anni Hindocha on her honeymoon in South Africa. Her husband Shrien Dewani is accused of procuring her murder, yet despite declaring his desire to clear his name, he remains holed up in England, fighting extradition to South Africa. The extradition was approved by the courts  over a year ago, in August 2011, but it has been put on hold by a High Court decision in March, that it would be “oppressive” to extradite him given his mental condition.

It is an important role of the criminal justice system to protect the rights of the accused, as encapsulated in the saying “innocent unless proven guilty”. However, those rights are not an absolute, as in their application they can impinge on the rights of others. In this case it appears that while Dewani is enjoying his rights under the law, the right of the public to have a murder-accused person face trial, and the right of Anni’s family to know the truth of what happened to their daughter, are being trampled underfoot.