question_answer

Direction: Read the given passage carefully and answer the questions that follow.

The two-year sentence handed down to ex-McKinsey Chief Raj at Gupta by a Manhattan judge has surprised many. The verdict is a departure from the principle that punishment should tally with the crime it seeks to redress. Gupta has been held guilty in a case of insider trading. The clinching evidence that swung the jury was a call made by Gupta to Galleon Group's co-founder Raj Rajaratnam after a meeting of the Goldman Sachs board, on which the former was a member. That call was followed by a last minute set of trades in Goldman Sachs shares that benefited Rajaratnam hugely. This, and other evidence of a long-standing friendship and business relationship with Rajaratnam, convinced the jury to hold Gupta guilty.

Based on the circumstances of the case, the prosecution had demanded Gupta serve at least eight years in prison. The sentence of two years and a fine of $5 million for aman as rich as Gupta is more than just lenient - it is close to exoneration. This show of lenience was clearly the result of a high-profile campaign to pressurise the judge to treat Gupta differently. Those canvassing for Gupta included social and business icons like Bill Gates and Kofi Annan. But that should not have mattered. A criminal guilty of crime must be treated on par with others similarly convicted. In Gupta's case, his supporters demanded soft treatment for two unusual reasons. The first was that he had an illustrious career and, therefore, did not need to commit the crime he is accused of. The second was that in the midst of his career he had done much to help the needy of the world. The other argument could be that corporate fraud is not a crime like murder, and so can be treated differently. But in a world where financial crises precipitated by widespread financial fraud have caused so much economic and social devastation, even that is impossible to digest.

Which one of the followings had been the ground for the high-profile campaigh in favour of Rajat Gupta?

 

A)  He was the chief of McKinsey

B)  He was a member of Goldman Sachs board.

C)  He had done much to help the needy of the world.

D)  He is a friend of Galleon Group's co-founder.

E)  None of these