Freedom, for what?

8226; The recent Supreme Court judgment giving more freedom to unaided colleges...

8226; The recent Supreme Court judgment giving more freedom to unaided colleges to decide their admission policies raises a pertinent question: how much freedom is too much freedom? The court ruling frees all colleges that do not receive government financial aid from having to reserve seats for SC/ST and OBC students. Education barons are cheering the judgment. But the jury8217;s still out on whether this fits in with the logic of social justice, that is the basis of educational reservations. The court has directed a regulating committee to ensure that the fee structures in these colleges are not inflated beyond reasonable levels. However, the ambiguity of 8220;reasonable8221; can well work to the students8217; disadvantage. Such concerns are not exaggerated, especially as the judgment comes at a time when private colleges have been in the news for all the wrong reasons.

8212; Saher Anjum Nagpur

Minister8217;s way

8226; Thanks to your paper, Minister Mani Shankar Aiyar has been exposed in his efforts to put Congress 8220;chamchas8221; as independent directors on Boards of oil PSUs. He has thrown out all the qualifying criteria set by DPE for PSU boards and by SEBI for private sector company boards.

8212; R.P. Desai On e-mail

Remember them

8226; It is gratifying that compensation has been finally given to the unfortunate victims and sufferers of the Delhi anti-Sikh riots of 1984 and that they are being rehabilitated by the government. Thousands of Muslims were killed and injured in the horrible anti-Muslim riots of Gujarat of 2002. It is hoped that Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Sonia Gandhi will also pay attention to the unfortunate victims of Gujarat who have been completely uprooted. Adequate compensation should be given to them and speedy measures should be undertaken to rehabilitate them.

8212; M. Hashim Kidwai On e-mail

Fragile futures

8226; After almost 38 years of occupation, bloodshed and strife, Israeli troops are finally pulling out of Gaza. The move signifies an act of considerable political courage by Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, who gave a go-ahead to the disengagement plan despite domestic opposition. The historic event saw the Israeli government evict about 9,000 settlers from Gaza Strip and four small settlements in West Bank, turning their land over to the Palestinian Authority.
The question that tops the mind of most Palestinians is simple: is the Gaza evacuation the first step towards establishing a viable Palestinian state? Or will it be a one-off move with Israel still holding on to strategic areas in the West Bank?
The world8217;s eyes are now set on Gaza8217;s fragile future. As the Palestinians enjoy their moment of freedom, the real debate lies in what becomes of Gaza after the Israeli tanks leave.

8212; Shazia Shaikh Nagpur

Sue them

8226; Give a dog a bad name and hang him, they say. A case in point is film actor Salman Khan, who8217;s been at the receiving end of all kinds of injustices at the hands of law enforcement agencies and the media. Someone needs to be sued for libel and mental harassment, and I hope the Khans have the guts to do so!

8212; Cynthia Reilly Mumbai