Legal battles frustrating

Apropos of ‘Sajjan guilty’; the conviction of Sajjan Kumar after 40 long years speaks volumes about how tortuous and frustrating a legal battle can be for an aggrieved family. Inordinate delay in bringing the guilty to justice brings little solace to the hapless and inconsolable sufferers who wait endlessly for closure. The unjustifiable delay reeks of a collusion between the criminals and government agencies in our country. Sometimes, unscrupulous lawyers also contribute significantly to prolonging the unspeakable sufferings of the victims by obtaining adjournments on flimsy grounds. Stringent penalties should be imposed for such adjournments. Time-bound disposal of cases can help ensure speedy justice. In fact, we have cultivated an environment in which criminals feel more secure than the victims, thus setting an extremely perilous precedent where faith in the judiciary gets eroded.

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Vimal Sethi, Kapurthala

Systemic failure

Refer to ‘Sajjan guilty’; the long delay in the conviction of Sajjan Kumar for his role in the 1984 anti-Sikh riots is a grim reminder that all is not well with the justice delivery system in the country. It shows a systemic failure on the part of the executive, police and judiciary to bring the culprits to book within a reasonable timeframe. The proceedings in sessions courts should be held on a day-to-day basis; cases related to heinous crimes of murder and rape should be disposed of in a time-bound manner. Disposal of a murder case after a gap of 40 years is a cruel joke.

MD Sharma, Shimla

Balakot strikes made an impact

Apropos of ‘ Pulwama puzzle’; there are two contrasting dimensions to the 2019 Pulwama terror attack. The first dimension pertains to the security and intelligence lapses which enabled the terrorists to perpetrate a gruesome tragedy in which 40 CRPF jawans were killed. However, the second dimension to this episode is India’s fierce retaliation in the form of the Balakot airstrikes. The initiative taken by the government was so intrepid that it evoked nationwide admiration for the BJP, which was able to reap political dividends too.

Roshan Lal Goel, Ladwa

Lessons for Congress, AAP

Apropos of ‘Kejriwal, Rahul should look within’; both the Congress and AAP might have pondered over the outcome of the Delhi polls and learnt some lessons. The ‘Sheesh Mahal’ charges against Kejriwal gave a chance to the BJP and the Congress to trap him. Notwithstanding that AAP announced so many beneficial schemes for the masses, voters ignored his promises and believed in Modi’s guarantee for a better future. It was not just the residents of Delhi who were disappointed with him; his initial role model Anna Hazare was also critical of him.

Subhash C Taneja, Gurugram

Kejriwal’s image took a beating

Arvind Kejriwal was honest and brave when he made his debut in politics. He dethroned the Congress in Delhi, upstaged the Shiromani Akali Dal as well as the Congress in Punjab and posed a threat to the BJP in Gujarat. There are many factors responsible for AAP’s dismal performance in Delhi, but the primary reason is Kejriwal’s public image. The man who entered politics as a ‘gentleman politician’ turned into an opportunist who resorted to malpractices for his selfish interests.

SL Singhal, Noida

President’s rule in Manipur

The Central Government has finally done what it wanted to do for a while — impose President’s rule in Manipur. It has been nearly two years that two prominent tribal communities have been at each other’s throats. The BJP, which is at the helm in the state as well as at the Centre, tried its best to avoid changing the CM. If the Centre is serious about improving the situation, it needs to arrest the perpetrators of various crimes and bring them to justice in order to regain the trust of the Manipuris and restore normalcy in the northeastern state.

Aarohi Gupta, by mail