Lords of justice

Reference to ‘Judges deliver justice, they don’t embody it’; we must discuss what constitutes contempt and what is implied by the supremacy of institutions delivering justice. Changing times and dynamic society necessitate bringing about changes in our perception and outlook also. Judiciary must be tolerant to criticism, as much as it needs to be independent from the executive. Amour propre comes in the way of equity and justice. Courts and judges must rise above getting irked by fair jokes, cartoons or quips. A civilised society and its institutions welcome criticism as much as freedom of expression.

Rakesh Sudan, Kurukshetra

Scrap sedition law

Invoking sedition law against a young climate activist just days after politician Shashi Tharoor and six noted journalists were booked, flags a fundamental infirmity in the sedition law. Police officials curiously reading Section 124A are quick to slap sedition on those whose actions and words incite opposition to government. The guard rails imposed by the Supreme Court, requiring direct and sudden incitement to violence to qualify as sedition, have had no effects. The zeal to invoke sedition brooks no meaningful opposition. Flawed application of the sedition law, disregarding SC strictures, qualifies for invoking contempt of court, if not quashing this archaic provision. The SC must take note of the spike in sedition cases. No less egregious is a concurrent trend of wielding the anti-terror UAPA against political activists. The apex court must scrap the sedition law and consider bail in pending cases.

LAJWANT SINGH, by mail

Captain, too, will be judged

Apropos of the interview of Punjab CM Capt Amarinder Singh, while on the one hand, he accepts that the farmers’ issue had a big impact on the MC elections, yet at the same time, he is attempting to take all the credit for the resounding victory on his government’s policies. At the time of the state elections, people will certainly judge his performance, and may not get swayed by national issues again and again.

Pankaj, Kalka

Inevitable response

The Punjab MC election results were on expected lines. Even though Punjab has often kept the BJP and the Sangh in check, this particular result is important in the current scenario. The newly enacted farm laws made the situation worse for the BJP and the action against farmers also reflected in this result.

Deepak, Malappuram

Local issues dominate

Refer to ‘Congress makes a clean sweep’; Congress victory was anticipated. The people of Punjab have given a mandate in support of the ongoing farmers’ movement. They have rejected the AAP as well as the BJP. The Congress wave shows that people are also disenchanted with the BJP and the AAP. In civic elections, voters have given priority to local issues, developmental issues and the personal influence of candidates.

Yugal Kishore Sharma, Faridabad

Check voter list

It is often alleged by the political parties and the voters on the day of elections that the names of the electors have been deleted by the electoral registration officer on the instructions of the party in power. The process of finalising the voter lists is time bound. When the drafts of the lists are published for soliciting the objections, nobody bothers to check his/her name. They cry only on the day of the election. It is the duty of every citizen to check his/her name at the proper time instead of blaming the officers later.

Sohan Lal Bhumbak, Chandigarh

Disha accountable for act

This refers to ‘Champions of a cause’; the writer tried to shield the act of Disha Ravi by saying that it was an ‘unintended’ association with Mo Dhaliwal. Is this assertion tenable? A leading environmentalist should have thought several times about the act she was going to execute. It is also unbelievable that she might not have any knowledge of his Khalistani activities. Now that it has been done, she should face the consequences. It is for the courts to see whether the charges slapped by government agencies on her are according to the law.

RL Bansal, Kurukshetra

Do not lower guard

Again there is a rise in Covid cases. One needs to take proper care as far as distancing etiquettes are concerned. Hardly is there any place where people are seen wearing masks and adhering to other norms of social distancing. We need to understand that even after having the vaccine, we need to observe the Covid protocols to keep ourselves and others safe.

Garv bhupesh, Panchkula

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