Instrument of Judgement

The King’s Philosophy

King Shatanan was very particular about punishing criminals in exact proportion to the gravity of their crimes. His motto was that no one guilty of a crime should go unpunished, and no innocent person should suffer due to a mistake.

A Unique Invention

The king was enthusiastic about new inventions and generously rewarded scientists and inventors. In his kingdom lived an inventor named Raghunath. One day, he approached the king and said, “My lord, after years of effort, I have prepared an instrument that will simplify the task of judging criminals.”

The Instrument Revealed

The king’s curiosity piqued, Raghunath revealed a small box containing a handy instrument. “My lord, this device has a dial marked with numbers from 1 to 10. If it is kept close to a person’s chest while they speak, the needle will not go beyond the mark of 4. However, if someone speaks a lie, the needle will exceed 4.”

Doubts and Conviction

“That is wonderful!” exclaimed the king, turning to his minister for his opinion. The minister cautioned, “The feeling of guilt resides in one’s mind. This instrument can only record the physical reactions of a person; how can we rely solely on its readings?”

Raghunath replied, “The wise minister should understand that a person’s mental state is bound to be reflected through subtle bodily vibrations.”

“Maybe. Even then, we should not depend entirely on an instrument for judging a man,” the minister retorted. However, the king was convinced by the invention, eagerly trying it out for himself. When he told a lie, the needle shot up to 7. The minister did the same, and the needle showed 5. “For the same lie, the needle indicated 7 in your case but only 5 in mine. What assurance do we have that it will produce consistent results for others?” asked the minister.

The King’s Decision

“Do not be upset, Raghunath,” the king said. “I have great faith in your instrument. We will use this henceforth to determine whether an accused person is guilty or innocent!” The inventor received a handsome reward. From that day onward, every time someone accused of a crime was brought before the king, he relied on the device for judgment.

A Murder in Broad Daylight

A few months later, a murder occurred in broad daylight on the king’s highway. A wealthy landlord was killed, and the murderer was caught red-handed by witnesses. Although he struggled to escape, he was brought before the king.

Confronting the Accused

“I am not guilty of any crime, my lord!” he shouted in the court. The king made him wear the instrument and asked, “Are you guilty?”

“No!” the accused replied, and the needle did not even cross the mark of 1.

“Leave him. He is innocent,” declared the king.

Revelation of Truth

“Wait a moment, my lord,” said the minister, then asked the accused, “Tell me, did you kill the landlord?”

“I did!” the accused admitted. The king looked bewildered. “He lied when I asked him about his guilt. How did the instrument fail to reveal that?” he murmured. The minister interrogated the accused and found out that the man had avenged the deaths of his wife and son, who had been poisoned by the landlord out of enmity.

The Complexity of Guilt

“My lord,” said the minister, “the accused does not believe he is guilty of a crime. Therefore, his answer to your question was not a lie, which is why the instrument did not exceed the number 4. However, he has committed murder, and the law must take its course.”

The king pardoned the man but realized the limitations of relying solely on the instrument. From that point onward, he never judged an accused person based on the readings alone.