More equal before law

The ‘CJI questioning the priority listing for corporate matters’ is timely. Not only corporate matters, but also the bail pleas of VIPs and their wards are taken up on priority, when thousands of the poor accused are languishing in jails, in conditions that need no elaboration. Statistics reveal that 68 per cent of the prisoners are held without being convicted by any court for a crime, with many among them having to wait for years before the trial court even begins hearing their cases. All this goes to show that in India, some are more equal before the law. The alacrity with which the cases of corporates and the VIPs are taken up by the courts and the speed with which justice is delivered to them are not deprecated, per se. All that the public seeks is matching urgency in the cases filed by the common man.

V Jayaraman, Chennai

Public disillusionment

Refer to ‘Bharat bandh: Blockade throws rail services off track in Haryana’; the bandh sponsored by the Samyukt Kisan Morcha has assumed a political form. The purpose is not the concern of the farmers, rather it seemed to be a voice raised against the governments of Haryana, UP and the Centre under the leadership of the BJP. The unrest shown by the morcha is not going to benefit the farmers. Bandhs are obstructing the smooth movement of the common man. People have become disillusioned with these demonstrations as they also affect the economy.

Yugal Kishore Sharma, Faridabad

Women’s quota

Apropos of ‘CJI’s call for women’s quota’, the assumption that more women judges will bring gender parity in the judiciary may be incorrect. That there’s gender discrimination against women in courts is merely a hypothesis without ground facts. Quota for women in the judiciary is against merit and uncalled for. Let the most important institutions in democratic India, like the judiciary, AIIMS and the PGI, Chandigarh, remain free from the intrusion of the quota system.

Subhash Baru, Jammu

SC leads from the front

The SC ordering the government to conduct the NDA exam for girls within this year is a bold move. The coming generations of women officers would observe this decision as a major leap towards fighting patriarchy in society and giving them the opportunity to live an extraordinary life like their male counterparts in the forces. It would be a difficult task to make a structure for women cadets in such a short span of time for the government and there would be a silent backlash against this decision behind closed doors in the forces. But the SC has shown that it follows the same principles and ideals which it expects from others to follow and is leading with an example by appointing a record three women judges in the SC in a single year. The recent statement by the CJI, expressing support to have 50% reservation for women judges, shows that the judiciary is in good hands and aims to look after all citizens of this nation.

Ishan Hastir, Gurdaspur

Celebrating women

In order to truly celebrate the Navratri, all efforts have to be driven towards making our daughters educationally, socially and economically independent (‘Every daughter is exceptional’). Few commendable measures taken towards this include women’s entry into the prestigious NDA and push for 50% women reservation in judiciary by none other than the CJI himself. Time has come when the celebration of Navratri, Women’s Day and Daughter’s Day is not only symbolic, but also the steps taken towards their real empowerment are visible to the whole world. We have to transcend the taint of patriarchal society, which has been hounding us.

PS Sodhi, Bengaluru

Lose-lose situation

This refers to ‘China’s high-handedness’. A recalcitrant China not lifting the embargo on to and fro air travel from its country is puzzling when Covid cases are waning and other countries are considering relaxations. This is a lose-lose situation for both sides. The probable reason is that China is on a self-destruction spree as it is going hammer and tongs against its own tech behemoths, coaching centres etc. It suggests that China is cooking up something, and the chances are that it may roll out a stringent visa policy for Indians prior to the resumption of flights.

Deepak Singhal, Noida

Police reforms

Apropos of ‘Bathinda cop beats up lawyer, suspended’, as a lawyer and law abiding citizen, I condemn the assault on a respectable member of the Bar Association by the ASI. However, the immediate response of the DSP, who registered a case against the ASI and placed him under suspension, is laudable. There are many cases which go unreported and many poor people become victims of police brutality. India needs police reforms. The governments must go beyond political interests and implement in letter and spirit the guidelines laid down by the SC as regards police reforms.

SANGAM GARG, TALWANDI SABO

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