Court order an attack on human dignity

Suman Patra, a 19-year-old boy accused of molesting a girl, has been ordered by the Orissa High Court to clean the shoes of devotees at a local temple for two hours a week for three months as a condition for granting him bail. The court apparently handed down this punishment though there is no such provision in law, to reform the young man and save him the ignominy of going to jail. Crimes against women no doubt deserve exemplary punishment, but ordering an accused to polish dirty shoes is a direct attack on his human rights and dignity. Some sects like Sikhism advocate such punishments, popularly called ‘Kar Seva’, to atone for one’s sins, but a court of law is supposed to be guided strictly by the rule book, not religious sentiments. Would the court have the courage to mete a similar punishment to some of our political leaders who are accused of more heinous crimes, as a pre-condition for granting bail? Obviously, in India all are not equal in the eyes of law.