Mincing no words

Refer to the editorial ‘Welcome candour’ (July 20); it was reassuring to learn that the Defence Minister admitted to the challenges before the country, while addressing the troops in Ladakh. It is the first time that a senior functionary has freely expressed his views. At the same time, he has assured us that no power in the world can grab even an inch from India. We cannot trust Chinese leaders as they believe in grabbing the land of other countries, either by hook or by crook.

Subhash C Taneja, Gurugram

Poor state of justice

Refer to the editorial ‘Decongesting prisons’ (July 20); we needed a pandemic to draw our attention towards the alarming magnitude of poverty, crumbling public health system, overcrowded prisons, etc. You cannot check the spiralling crime—you have a big number of undertrials in prisons whose trial goes on at a snail’s pace. Political adversaries and the ones raising even genuine voices of dissent are put in jails. But, still, the government doesn’t feel the need to have a matching number of prisons. In the name of decongesting prisons because of the pandemic, justice secured by the aggrieved parties after long legal battles should not be reversed or diluted overnight. Undertrials should be let out following an easy procedure. An 80-year-old poet-professor-humanist and champion of social justice languishing in jail without trial should make us hang our head in shame.

HL Sharma, Amritsar

Undertrials in jails

Refer to ‘Decongesting prisons’ (July 20); the Prison Statistics India report is collated by the National Crime Records Bureau. The total number of prisons in India decreased from 1,412 in 2016 to 1,339 in 2018. However, the capacity of prisons increased from 3,80,876 in 2016 to 3,96,223 in 2018. If one looks at the number of undertrials in prison, these are surprisingly high owing to our long road to justice. There was a 10.4% increase in the number of undertrials during 2016 to 2018. Recently, the number of people who have been detained in prisons has increased. Many students, academicians and journalists, among others, are facing serious charges because of dissenting viewpoints. Poet Varavara Rao has been admitted to a hospital due to health complications inside prison. Speedy bail procedures can save lives. It would be a grave injustice if any innocent dies in jail.

Jaspreet Singh, Patiala

6G will have to wait

Apropos of ‘Mission 6G — time to lead’(July 20), top telecom players owe the government Rs 1.47 lakh crore towards licence fee, spectrum usage charge, interest and penalty, accumulated over the past 14 years. They have filed review petitions in the SC. These telcos, Vodafone, Idea and Airtel in particular, have threatened to shut shop and not roll out 5G, in case they are not provided relief by the Centre. This arm-twisting smacks of a conspiracy to close this matter, with a few hundred crores of bearer bonds being issued in favour of the ruling party and crores in savings to telecom licensees. It is shameful that the country is being held to ransom by a few companies. It is a clear case of quid pro quo. The country will be a big loser in sectors like agriculture, manufacturing, healthcare and education, where 5G was to be used, because of this dogfight. Let us forget 6G for a couple of years.

Rajiv Boolchand Jain, Zirakpur

Quitting party? Recontest

The Rajasthan imbroglio is no longer an intra-Congress feud, it is turning into Congress versus BJP, and why not? The BJP found a chance to wrest power from the Congress because of the tussle between Gehlot and Pilot. Both are not on talking terms since the formation of the government 18 months ago. For the people of Rajasthan, where is governance under such circumstances? Such destabilisation of any state government by any means should not be allowed. A fair investigation into the whole affair and phone tapping should be brought in public knowledge. We have a right to know what went wrong and where. The anti-defection law needs a relook to make it effective. Transparency should be there, if anybody wants to switch over, let him resign and fight the election again, without recourse to shortcuts. This whole sordid drama must come to a logical conclusion.

Devinder Garg, Chandigarh

Stuck in Australia

Will the aviation ministry inform when it intends to start flights for India? I am a senior citizen who came to Australia with my wife for three months with a return ticket of Air India for March-end. Unluckily, we are stuck here due to Covid. Medicines are costly here and people like me need medical consultation frequently, and the supply of medicines has been exhausted, leading to stress. For how long will we remain dependent on our daughter? If we are to live with Covid, why not in India, in our own home?

RC Kohli, Melbourne

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