New York, Aug 28 — The prolonged National Herald case has damaged his reputation in the United States and can trigger questions from American banks about money laundering allegations that remain unproved, senior Congress leader Sam Pitroda has said.
In an exclusive interview with IANS, Pitroda questioned why the case had continued for about 15 years without a conclusion. He argued that keeping legal proceedings pending for years could itself punish those named in them.
“You take this Herald case, National Herald case has been going on for 15 years,” Pitroda said.
“I mean, what is this? You are in power. You accuse everybody. You even put that it is money laundering. You haven't proved anything, but look at the damage it does,” he said.
Pitroda, who has lived in the United States for more than six decades, said online references connecting his name with the case could have consequences far removed from Indian politics.
“To someone like me who live in America, you go to Web and says money laundering case Sam Petroda involved. I mean, come on,” he said.
“What does it do to me? My bank will say, oh, what happened, Mr. Petroda? Well, I can't explain to them what National Herald and, you know, political bias and all that.”
Pitroda called for greater fairness and restraint in the use of allegations against political opponents.
“So be nice to others. Have some decency,” he said.
His comments came during a wider discussion about India’s judicial system and the backlog of cases before courts. Pitroda said delays deprived people of timely justice and allowed accusations to remain attached to individuals for years.
“Why can't we settle court cases and bring justice so that we can provide justice in one year and not 18 years or 20 years?” he asked.
Pitroda said India should consider using artificial intelligence and decentralised administration to address the backlog. He called for districts to take greater responsibility for resolving cases pending in their jurisdictions.
“Why do we have 50 million court cases pending? Why can't each district say, okay, I'm gonna settle at least my court cases?” he said.
Asked whether resolving cases within a fixed period should be left to the judiciary, Pitroda alleged that political considerations could contribute to delays.
“No, but political bosses don't resolve it. Even if political, even if judiciary wants to resolve it, I'm sure there'll be pressure. Just keep it hanging,” he said.
Pitroda also questioned the independence of the judiciary and the Election Commission, alleging that democratic institutions had come under growing pressure.
“Let's look at the track record now. You think election commission is independent in India? I don't think so,” he said. “So I think institutions have been captured.”
Pitroda contrasted the current political climate with the tenure of former prime minister Manmohan Singh. He said he was unaware of the Prime Minister’s Office attempting to pressure the judiciary or deploy the Enforcement Directorate against opponents during Singh’s government.
“I don't think during Manmohan Singh's time, at least I know, there was any pressure from Prime Minister's office to anybody,” he said.
The National Herald proceedings arise from allegations concerning the transfer of control of Associated Journals Limited, publisher of the National Herald, to Young Indian. The Enforcement Directorate named Pitroda, Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi and others in its money laundering complaint. The accused and the Congress have rejected the allegations and described the proceedings as politically motivated.