Former interim CBI director discovers that sarkari privilege does not translate to social media influence

Rao has now moved the Delhi High Court twice in as many months demanding that Twitter restore the “blue tick” — given to verified accounts — that his handle once enjoyed. On Tuesday, while dismissing his second writ petition, the court ordered that he pay a fine of Rs 10,000. Clearly, the petitioner did not understand rejection. Or, even more significantly, that a blue tick — like the lal batti — is a privilege that can be temporary. It is certainly not a matter over which a high court need exercise its original jurisdiction.

But perhaps the retired IPS officer should not be judged too harshly. After all, unthinking entitlement — in essence, confusing rights for privileges, discretion for discrimination — may just be the inevitable outcome of years in power. Unlike regular working folk, who struggle with job precarity and no pensions, an All-India Service officer is rarely told that he does not deserve institutional recognition and backing, that he is just one among the millions with a voice on the internet. Most people, the voiceless, find on places like Twitter — for better and often worse — a chance to be heard. For the babu, being a part of that cacophony itself appears to be traumatic.