What troubles me is not only the allegation, but the context

I have long believed that the measure of a polity is how it treats its institutions in quiet times and its people in turbulent ones. Arrests of former leaders are not unprecedented—and accountability is part of a healthy polity—but there are three sequential instincts I have when I see a story like this:

A legal instinct: Are the charges genuine, proportionate, and brought after impartial investigation? The details reported suggest the accusations relate to travel expenses for a personal engagement embedded within a broader official tour, which—on the face of it—does look minor. That raises questions about proportionality and motive Times of India.
A humane instinct: The individual in question is 76, has documented health issues, and was reportedly taken to a prison hospital. Even when states must act, there is a basic human standard of care and dignity that must be preserved in detention. Tharoor’s concern about his health and call for respectful treatment is not mere sentimentality; it is a plea to the minimum decency that democratic societies must guarantee Hindustan Times.
A civic instinct: Democracies mature not when they punish but when they resist the impulse to punish for the sake of settling scores. When transitions bring new majorities, the temptation to use the machinery of the state for retribution is real; resisting it is what distinguishes stable institutions from fragile ones. Tharoor’s plea to "abjure the politics of vengeance" is a reminder of that higher obligation Zee News.

The line between accountability and vindictiveness

Law and politics are necessarily entangled, but they must be disentangled in practice. An allegation—if serious and evidenced—deserves investigation and, if warranted, prosecution. Yet the timing, the choice of charges, the public theatre around an arrest, and the treatment of ailing detainees can signal something other than impartial justice.

There is a difference between:

Pursuing justice to uphold the public trust, and
Pursuing retribution to humiliate a political adversary.

We should be vigilant against the normalisation of the latter. If the legal system becomes a tool for vendetta, the cost is not only to one man but to public faith in fairness.

A regional conscience — and India’s delicate posture

Some commentators even suggested India could offer medical help if required—a humane gesture that would be consistent with shared regional values even as it respects sovereignty Zee News. I feel that neighbouring democracies have a latent responsibility: to speak for standards, not to intervene. That balance—compassion without interference—is delicate but essential.

Why this matters beyond one case

This episode is a mirror. It reflects back at us the health of institutions and the ethical temperature of politics. A few broader reflections:

The test of democratic maturity is procedural and moral: Are institutions impartial? Is the rule of law applied evenly? Do we preserve dignity even to those we disagree with?
Political transitions must be accompanied by an ethic of restraint. Victors who weaponise the state erode the very legitimacy they claim.
Civil society, the media, and public intellectuals have a duty to insist on proportionality and humane treatment—not to shield the powerful, but to protect standards.

Where I stand

I find myself in the same place as Shashi Tharoor’s public intervention: the charges, as reported, seem trivial; the health of a septuagenarian detained in these circumstances is worrying; and the political context raises the spectre of vindictive politics rather than sober, proportionate justice ‘Abjure politics of vengeance’: Shashi Tharoor concerned over former Sri Lankan president's arrest Shashi Tharoor Expresses Concern Over Former Sri Lankan President's Arrest, Calls on Colombo to Avoid Politics of Vengeance ‘Trivial charges’: Shashi Tharoor condemns arrest of ex-Sri Lankan president; cautions against 'vendetta politics'.

To call for dignity is not to obstruct accountability. It is to insist that accountability be just, transparent, and humane. As citizens of democracies, our true allegiance is to those processes—not to the triumph of any one faction over another.

Regards,
Hemen Parekh

Sunday, 24 August 2025