Mail of the Week

PICTURE SPEAK

"Face Off", October 30

"With judiciary and legislature on two different sides on certain issues, each will try to exercise its power and dominate over the other."

Bishan Sahai, on e-mail

Let Law Prevail

The judiciary has almost been rendered ineffective by the politicians of this country, who always find means to bypass its judgements by amending the Constitution or passing ordinances. ("Face Off", October 30). It is time the judiciary exercised its authority till an equilibrium is established.

Vitull K. Gupta, Bhatinda

This is not the first wave of judicial intervention in legislative matters. The confrontation was bound to happen as legislators often expand their turf and pass laws to suit themselves. The Supreme Court should intervene whenever our ministers go astray.

Man Mohan Bhatia, Delhi

The Supreme Court's ruling on creamy layer is unnecessarily being debated. The original Constitution created the reservations only for a period of 10 years. But politicians extended the quota to suit their selfish interest. Ultimately it is the children of the richie riches who avail the benefits of reservations.

M.M. Kale, Kakinada

The recent attempt to reconcile various constitutional amendments that favour certain classes of Indians has spawned the term "administrative efficiency". For the masses to benefit, the judiciary and the legislature should introduce a balanced law instead of getting into a useless conflict.

S. Suchindranath Aiyer, Bangalore

Terror Must Die

A terrorist has no ethics, no conscience and is completely unrepentant ("No Mercy", October 30). If let off, he will return to execute further destruction. Keeping the billion lives in mind, a death sentence for a terrorist is justified.

Beena Pandya, Gurgaon

The Congress should realise that clemency in the case of Mohammad Afzal would tantamount to abetment of terrorism and the party may have to face a situation similar to the one when Masood Azhar had to be released by the NDA government after the Kandahar hijacking.

L.M.K.Wesley, on e-mail

When it comes to alphabets, there is very little difference between a saint and the satan, while in reality they are poles apart. There should be no delay in hanging Afzal who represents the latter and hence, should be given no second chance.

Rajneesh Batra, Delhi

Long Road to Justice

Although justice in the Priyadarshini Mattoo murder case has shown a ray of hope to people, the judiciary has not yet achieved complete success. ("Justice at Last", October 30). Immediate steps should be taken to punish the officers who tampered with the evidence.

Subhash C. Agrawal, Delhi

The verdict in favour of Mattoo has restored our faith in the judicial system. It is a good beginning although there is still a long way to go.

S.N. Sharma, Gurgaon

Poverty Broods Terror

The increase in Maoist violence is a direct result of inequitable development ("Beating the Red Terror", October 23). The only way to control them is to take steps to eradicate poverty.

V.K. Gupta, on e-mail

Blunt Trishul

POLICE STATE

The Supreme Court's directive to enforce reforms in the police force is much needed as the Indian police today are more interested in bribes. What is required is to revamp the force and make every policeman accountable. Rohit Sharma, Mumbai The police force are always blamed and ridiculed, which, in my opinion, is unfair. Instead of abusing them, we should also take note of instances when they have apprehended terrorists on time and have saved us from bigger catastrophes. Aruna Shrivastava, Allahabad

Sanjit Khajuria, Patna

Hospitality Rules

It is the hospitable quality amongst Kannadigas that has attracted growth, not government policies "Chauvinism Rules", October 30). This is a quality not easily found anywhere, yet it always goes unappreciated.

Sanjit Khajuria, Patnam

Ephemeral Trends

Be it Rang De Basanti or Lage Raho Munnabhai, today's films have a roaring impact on the Indian audiences ("Saying It with Love"). While these are positive signs in a democracy, they only live as long as the public memory of a trend endures.

Sutapa Sinha, Kolkata

It was interesting to read about the Gandhigiri Club, aiming to correct offenders through love. Thanks to Lage Raho Munnabhai, Gandhigiri has become a rage these days. India should come up with more such movies to motivate people.

R.D. Singh, Jammu

Erase Shoaib's Records

It seems Shoaib Akhtar's bowling speed was the result of performance-enhancing drugs ("Soap Opera Season", October 30) He is a cheat and should be thrown out of the international cricket circuit. All his records should be erased.

Tapan Kalita, Tihu, Assam

30 YEARS AGO IN INDIA TODAY    NOVEMBER 1-15,1976

It was three minutes after take-off. An Indian Airlines (IA) Bombay-Madras flight crashed in the precincts of Santa Cruz airport killing all 89 passengers and six crew members. As the news of the worst-ever disaster in Indian aviation history hit the headlines, panicky passengers cancelled their air bookings for the slower, but what they felt safer, mode of transport-the railways. An IA official lamented: "It is probably the safest time to fly, since the airlines are bound to be extra conscious about safety." IATA statistics show that the number of aircraft accidents for all member airlines dropped from 30 in 1970 to 21 in 1975. Passenger casualties declined from 786 to 473. But even then every Indian asked: Is it safer on the ground? After all, the nation lost the founder of its nuclear programme, Dr Homi Bhabha, to an air crash. - Death in the Clouds by Chand Joshi

India Arrives

The fact that the world is embracing India as a cultural superpower goes on to prove that the country has immense potential in terms of cultural heritage. ("Soft Power", October 30) It is absolutely motivating to see brand India transforming itself in the global arena.

V.K.Tangri, Dehradun

Wrong on Facts

There is a glaring mistake in the listing of Barak facts in which it is stated "in 2006 Fernandes and Jaitly were chargesheeted''. ("Political Missile", October 23) Only an FIR has so far been filed. It will take a long time for the CBI to produce evidence to back their ridiculous allegations. It is only then that a chargesheet can be filed. None exists now.

I strongly object to the picture accompanying the article, which seeks to project Fernandes and me in close proximity. Considering our country has such a tradition of treating elders with respect, you could have found some other picture where the impression gained by the viewer is far from the reality.

Jaya Jaitly, on e-mail

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