This Somnath Chatterjee-CPIM episode reminds me of the famous short story in Hindi by Premchand, called "Panch Parmeshwar" where, hoping to bias a decision in his favor, the guy gets his loyal friend selected as the Sarpanch, the chief adjudicator in a Panchayat. But when the moment of reckoning comes, the "committed" Sarpanch finds himself unable to compromise the sanctity of his seat and rules against his friend.
