Bail, not jail

Refer to ‘SC grants interim bail to comedian Faruqui’; the Supreme Court’s prompt willingness to free comedian Faruqui should send a signal to all magistrates, sessions courts and high courts that ‘bail, not jail’ should be the judiciary’s primary instinct. Without even scrutinising the violation of fundamental right to free speech, the apex court decided the other fundamental issue: Was arrest necessary? The police are required to certify the necessity of arrests against a five-point checklist: possibility of committing another offence, proper investigation of present offence, preventing any evidence from disappearing, threat to witnesses and possibility of accused absconding. It is alarming that such procedures are neglected.

PL SINGH, by mail

Off and on

Refer to ‘Better late than never’; restoration of 4G services after a long hiatus in Kashmir is so far so good. Given the low fuse rating of the government and it being compulsively thin skinned, how long this fundamental right is sustainable is anybody’s guess. Any iota of dissent shall provoke it to reimpose the ban at the drop of a hat. The way the Internet has been suspended at farmer protest sites is a testament. Fundamental rights enshrined in the Constitution are now at the whims of the government. This is a new normal.

Deepak Singhal, Noida

4G services in J&K

It is a matter of relief that 4G mobile services have been restored across J&K after almost 18 months (‘Better late than never’). As a matter of fact, the decision to suspend the mobile services to the common masses was harsh. Internet access being part of the fundamental right to freedom of speech was stressed by the Supreme Court itself, which had also pointed out that suspension of Internet services was against rights and must be avoided.

Subhash C Taneja, Gurugram

Global flak

Apropos of ‘Check facts: MEA on celeb tweets’, it is becoming clear that the pillars of our political establishment stand shaken over a few tweets. Earlier, the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology had sent a notice to Twitter, directing it to remove accounts relating to the farmers’ protests that it deemed to be offensive, but Twitter responded by conveying that they constitute free speech. By attempting to quell and block global attention and criticism, India is making itself look prickly and insecure, instead of the firm-footed player on the world stage that it wants to be.

PS KAUR, by mail

Selling govt assets

Reference to the FM rejects ‘selling family silver’ charge; the best solution to this problem is to make it mandatory to buy immovable assets with the proceeds of any PSUs asset or share or part of it sold. Any state government or Centre can’t meet their day-to-day expenses with the proceeds of the assets so sold, they would have to reinvest the same amount in immovable assets. This is in pattern with the I-T Act under which any individual who sells his/her immovable assets has to buy the fixed assets in a stipulated time or buy government bonds or pay income tax.

Naresh Mohan Johar, Amritsar

Disinvestment plans

Apropos of “FM rejects ‘selling family silver’ charge”, the policy to divest most public sector companies, save the few in strategic sectors, may be moot. Since this is a long-drawn process, consensus across the political spectrum would be desirable. Twenty years ago, a fully operational heavy water plant at NFL Nangal was scrapped — as atomic energy-sensitive heavy water could not be entrusted to a private prospective entity — with the change of guard in 2004. The government of the day would do well not to bite off more than it can chew.

Lalit Bharadwaj, Panchkula

Nature hits back

The Uttarakhand incident is being called a natural disaster. Humans must be condemned. It is our doing. Rampant construction of roads and rail lines, besides pollution, is adding to the problem. It is a result of our deeds. A report says in the upcoming decade, we will be experiencing temperatures as high as 60°C. The day is not far when the entire world would have to be put under lockdown every year to curb pollution. First, we invest in buying petrol and diesel and pollute the environment; and then, we initiate global programmes to check pollution by investing many crores. What does it show? We need to innovate and work according to nature. The race to become powerful has ruined our environment and nature.

Aman Jaiswal, Delhi

Letters to the Editor, typed in double space, should not exceed the 200-word limit. These should be cogently written and can be sent by e-mail to: Letters@tribunemail.com