The new low it has opened in Indian politics will take some time for analysts to fathom. She has to be mindful of the fact that electoral mandates and norms of probity do not necessarily mix. The, people will realise this when the initial euphoria dies down and Ms Jayalalith ceases to bask in popularity. Protect Record Rooms Over 33,000 records in the Ratnapura Magistrate court went up in flames when a record room caught fire on Sunday. Sabotage has not been ruled out according to our report yesterday.
Investigations are still on and it is too early to determine conclusively the cause of fire.
This is not the first time that court record rooms have been gutted. It is natural that when a fire occurs destroying vital documents in a court record room, the public begin to sense an act of arson by a party to a lawsuit. We should not be surprised even if the culprit turns out to be a rat which gnawed an electric wire in the record room setting it ablaze. The Ratnapura court fire once again stresses the need for' enhanced security to courts and better protection of court records and productions. A lonely policeman guarding a Court house or even a posse of them will be a sitting duck if a determined gang makes a foray into a court house.