This was a fifteen-year-old boy... He was caught stealing bread from a store. On trying to escape from the hold of the guard, a shelf of the store was also broken.
The judge heard the crime and asked the boy, “Did you really steal something, a loaf of bread and cheese?”
The boy responded by looking down.;- “ Yes .”
Judge: - “ Why ?”
Boy: - “I needed it"
Judge: - “Couldn't you have bought it ?”
Boy: - “There was no money.”
Judge: - “Take it from the family.”
Boy: - “There is only a mother in the house. Sick and unemployed, Bread and Cheese were also stolen for the same.”
Judge: - “You don't do anything?”
Boy: - “Used to wash a car. When I took a day off to take care of my mother, I was fired.”
Judge: - “Don’t you ask someone for help?”
Boy: - “Had left the house since morning, went to about fifty (50) people, but no help; so, I decided to take this step at the very end.”
When the arguments ended, the judge began to pronounce the verdict;
... “the theft and especially the stealing of Bread by a hungry boy is a very shameful crime and we are all responsible for this crime ."
Every person in the court, including me, is guilty and a perpetrator, so every person present here is fined ten dollars each. No one can get out of here without giving ten dollars.”
Saying this, the judge took ten dollars out of his own pocket and then picked up a pen and started writing names accordingly:
‘In addition, I fine the store a thousand dollars for handing over a hungry child to the Police.’
‘If the penalty is not deposited within 24 hours, the court will order to seal the store.’ Also, the Police is fined the same amount for arranging a hungry boy before the court
By giving the full amount of fine to this boy, the court asks for forgiveness from that boy.
After hearing the verdict, tears were pouring from the eyes of the people present in the court, that boy's handcuffs were also untied. The boy was watching the judge again and again, who came out hiding his tears.
Are our societies, systems, and courts ready for such a decision? if a hungry person is caught stealing bread, then the people of that country should be ashamed.
It is a pity; we live in a country where there is a misplaced priority. Government negotiating with criminals and bandits to take it easy while the same government orders the killings of those crying for justice, fair share, security, and good governance. What a pity!
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