rediff.com: Transcript of the Chat


	HOME \| CHAT \| TRANSCRIPTS

THE CHAT ROOMS
HOME
MONEY

'All Indians are not law-abiding people'

17 April, 2001, 5 pm PDT: Jayashri Srikantiah took questions on the Lakireddy Bali Reddy case.s

Ms. Jayashri Srikantiah : hello all; glad to be chatting with you.

kathir : what is the status of this case now
Ms. Jayashri Srikantiah : Lakireddy Bali Reddy has pled guilty to trafficking in men, women, and girls for unlawful sex and cheap labor. A new indictment issued last week in Prasad and Vijay Lakireddy's cases last week, which charged them with being part of a trafficking conspiracy to bring men and young women into this country for illegal sex and labor, among other things.

Rhea : I think I read somewhere that the sons got a higher sentence than the father...why is that?
Ms. Jayashri Srikantiah : The sons have not pled guilty or been sentenced yet. As for the father, he has pled guilty, but the sentencing will happen in June or July (at which point the judge can accept or reject the guilty plea).

Jai : Jayashri, Has this case taken a toll on your personal life?
Ms. Jayashri Srikantiah : Yes, to some extent. I have been so busy with working on this case, and also with coordinating client services, that I have had little time for anything else.

Meena : Has your view of Indians changed after this case came about?
Ms. Jayashri Srikantiah : No, not at all. I am very proud to be an Indian American. I think that we have to recognize that our community, like every other community, contains members who do illegal and immoral acts. And, we have a responsibility as a community and as individuals to act when that happens.

nanea : I want to know about the atmosphere in the court room. Was there much of a commotion -- especially in light of the protest in Berekeley.
Ms. Jayashri Srikantiah : During the plea colloquy in Lakireddy Bali Reddy's case, the courtroom was full. There was a considerable amount of press coverage, and many South Asians turned out to support the victims.

Meena : Jayashri, would you please tell us a little bit about yourself?
Ms. Jayashri Srikantiah : Sure. I have been at the ACLU Immigrants' Rights Project for about 3 years. I work on trafficking issues as well as other issues affecting the civil rights of immigrants.

nanea : Jayshree ... Would you classify this case a unique one ... or do you consider this case ... as just another one under the belt? I mean where does this case rank in your professional career?
Ms. Jayashri Srikantiah : It has been a very interesting case to work on, and one which I will remember for a long time. I am happy that I had the opportunity to represent the victims, and I hope that this case raises awareness on trafficking issues in the South Asian and Asian communities.

Jai : Have you been to the restaurant that the Reddys operate?
Ms. Jayashri Srikantiah : No, I have not.

Meena : Why did you want to become a lawyer?
Ms. Jayashri Srikantiah : I was working as an engineer, and I realized that, while I enjoy the challenge of engineering design, I also really like talking and writing. I wanted to move in that direction. While in law school, I became interested in constitutional law and civil liberties issues.

Jai : What is the status of the lawsuit?
Ms. Jayashri Srikantiah : If you mean the civil lawsuit, it is still in negotiations.

Rhea : can you tell us anything abou the future of the survivors?
Ms. Jayashri Srikantiah : Needless to say, it will take a very long time for them to recover from what they have suffered. We hope to encourage them on that path and to provide advice and guidance when they want it. The ultimate goal is for them to be fully empowered women, and I hope they are moving in that direction.

keshavl : Hi Jayashri...what was the need to take up the case..when he has pleaded guilty..was it to get media coverage
Ms. Jayashri Srikantiah : We are definitely not in this case for the media coverage. We have been involved in the case since it broke (for over a year). As you probably know, the case has several components, one of which is the criminal case that I have been involved in. The other is a civil lawsuit.

Rhea : what will be the status on the immigration issue? will the survivors be living in the U.S. or will they have to go back to their home countries?
Ms. Jayashri Srikantiah : We hope to help the survivors stay in this country if that is what they want.

prabhakar : Hi Jayashri, Are the Lakireddys the only one in this kind of business? What are the lessons to be learnt by those back home in India?
Ms. Jayashri Srikantiah : According to the U.S. Congress, over 100,000 people were trafficked into this country for sex and labor last year alone. Many of those people were from Asia and South Asia. I think we have to realize that this happens in our community, and speak up when we see or hear of something related to trafficking.

Flabby : Will you start your own law firm?
Ms. Jayashri Srikantiah : No, I have no plans to do that. I intend to stay in civil rights law, providing legal services free of charge.

nanea : Would you qualify yourself as a feminist? If yes ... please explaing your thoughts on feminism in India
Ms. Jayashri Srikantiah : Yes, I do consider myself a feminist. I do not know whether I am qualified to speak about feminism in India, but I can say that I am happy that several civil rights and feminist groups in India have been supportive and interested in our case.

Subhash : Jayashree how did you get involved in all this, did some one hire you?
Ms. Jayashri Srikantiah : The ACLU was contacted by the social services organizations who were helping the victims. We were ultimately retained by the victims as their attorneys.

Flabby : were you born here?
Ms. Jayashri Srikantiah : No, I was born in Bombay and came here when I was 4 years old.

prabhakar : Prabhakar,Can we get a break up giving the number of persons taken from India and possible, which of the states, and to which cities and areas in the U.S. to get a clearer idea of the trafficking from India? Otherwise, it will seem as if the Lakkireddy saga is a magnified one? Please explain.
Ms. Jayashri Srikantiah : I don't have the statistics on which countries, which states etc. However, I can tell you that California, New York, and Florida have the highest number of trafficking cases. I also know that the Lakireddy case is by no means an isolated case.

dalit : Ms. Jayashri, did you know one the victim was a dalit women
Ms. Jayashri Srikantiah : We are aware of the castes of all of our clients. In the indictment against Prasad and Vijay Lakireddy, they are charged with preying on young, uneducated, poor women from so-called "backward" [what an offensive word!] castes.

Subhash : Are you a Kannadiga
Ms. Jayashri Srikantiah : Yes.

sethRamesh : Hi JayashriDo you think that this incident affected Indian's reputation here in US ?
Ms. Jayashri Srikantiah : Not really. I think as immigrants, we always want to put our best foot forward. However, it is unrealistic to think that all Indians are law-abiding people -- that's unrealistic for any group. I think that the U.S. press gives very good coverage of the many Indian contributions and achievements, and that the press coverage in this case has to be seen in light of that.

nanea : Jayshri ... are you planning to write a book on your experience with the case ... I think details of the case and insight into court proceeding will give one a good insight into not only the case and law related to but the crime itself! Do have any plans in this regard?
Ms. Jayashri Srikantiah : No, I really haven't thought of it. To tell you the truth, I think of this story as my clients' story -- if anyone should write a book (if/when they are ready), it should be them.

prabhakar : But we need to put some figure on the trafficking from India if the social issues involved are to be appreciated from the larger perspective? What do you have to say?
Ms. Jayashri Srikantiah : If you are interested in figures, please consult the State Department report on trafficking. It is available on their website.

sairam : congrats on your major success, it's a great achievement to you and to the society in general!!
Ms. Jayashri Srikantiah : Thank you on behalf of the victims for your support.

sethRamesh : I think most of the Indians here are educated and the Percentage of Criminals are very low compared to other Ethinic Groups.
Ms. Jayashri Srikantiah : I am not sure that being educated necessarily translates into not being a criminal, as this case has shown. Especially in trafficking cases, it is often the educated, well-to-do immigrant who goes back to his/her home country to prey on those who are poorer and less educated.

sairam : Is there any way that I can extend my support to people like you who fight for a cause, in that way atleast I feel proud and satisfied that I too have contributed towards a moral cause.
Ms. Jayashri Srikantiah : If you are interested in supporting the victims, there are many groups who are helping them. You can contact any of them to provide support.

Subhash : Did you feel any hesitation while taking on all these Bad guys with lots of money.
Ms. Jayashri Srikantiah : I am not sure that I am taking them on -- I feel that my role is to make sure the victims' interests are protected during the prosecution. But, I am not worried about the wealth of the defendants.

Nageswar : Hi Jayashri.. COngrats on your success. How come such beastly acts have not come to light earlier?
Ms. Jayashri Srikantiah : I hope that with some awareness these cases won't drag on for so long before being exposed to the public.

nanea : Jayshri ... I understand ... but the book will do them justice as well ... ofcourse, we need to be sensitive to their privacy! I think may be you should consider it.
Ms. Jayashri Srikantiah : Maybe! I don't know -- maybe that other person is right that lawyers aren't good writers....

Rhea : In reality Ms. Srikantiah, do you think that trafficking will become any lesser? lakireddy was caught, that too indirectly so how come he wasn't noticed earlier by any law enforcement agency..when I read abouy the case it seems he has been doing this since so many years and there have been so many people involved..
Ms. Jayashri Srikantiah : I really think that the only way to reduce trafficking ultimately is for the community that the trafficker is from to hold him accountable. I hope that raising awareness will do that in the future.

manajit : what do you think is the fallout of this case on what the local people think of the Indian community?
Ms. Jayashri Srikantiah : As I said earlier, I don't think there is anything to worry about. I think it is unrealistic for a community to claim to have no members who break the law -- every community has those. I don't think that Indians who contribute positively are going to be any less regarded because of this case.

BayUser : In the end, do you think Mr. Reddy was truly remorseful for what he did or remorseful because he was caught?
Ms. Jayashri Srikantiah : I don't know -- you would have to ask his lawyers. But I can tell you that from the victims' perspective, we felt vindicated that he was exposed for what he really is.

Ms. Jayashri Srikantiah : I can only take a few more questions -- then I have to go. Thanks, Jayashri

drdeepak : People from andhra pradesh,the place from where this reddy came r mad about US.i know 2 freinds of mine from velvadam,they used to praise balreddy always.they used to refer to ladies who became rich overnight.how far do u think is the greed of people to earn$ responsible to this independent of lakireddy's crime?
Ms. Jayashri Srikantiah : I do not think any of it was greed. The victims did not come forward in the beginning - this case only broke when one victim died.

sreeram : Ms Jayshri? Do you think you can change our community from rocketing,smuggling, corruption by just punshing Mr Reddy?
Ms. Jayashri Srikantiah : No, obviously not. But I do think that if we hold community members accountable for their actions, we can deter others from doing the same.

manajit : the issue is typecasting which generally happens to minorities. hopefully as you said the positives will offset the negatives. congratulation for a job well done!
Ms. Jayashri Srikantiah : Thank you - I can only take one more question and then I must go. Thanks for chatting! Jayashri

Raja : What sreps you are taking to stop such trafficking?
Ms. Jayashri Srikantiah : I am working with other non-profits (both South Asian and other immigrant nonprofits) to do grassroots advocacy, outreach, and create support systems for victims who either come forward or are revealed during a police investigation.

Ms. Jayashri Srikantiah : Thank you all for your time. I have to go. Best regards, Jayashri Srikantiah

Disclaimer