Letters To The Editor

Pardon us 8226; THE Supreme Court8217;s directive that there can be no pardon on political and religious considerations is extremely impor...

Pardon us

8226; THE Supreme Court8217;s directive that there can be no pardon on political and religious considerations is extremely important, given the executive misinterpretation of the powers of pardon. Presidents and governors are appointed as part of political dispensations and however apolitical they may be, they are subject to political pressure while taking decisions. With their limited executive power and the respect we have for the judiciary, it makes one think why clemency from such quarters is necessary over judicial decisions. There is a lot of debate with political and religious connotations in the case of Mohammed Afzal, and whatever decision is taken over his sentence will no doubt set a precedent, either for the good or for the bad. The sentence has to be viewed only in the national perspective, as whatever is good for the terrorists8217; cause is bad for the country and vice versa.

8212; N. Jayaram, Mumbai

Mercy for whom?

8226; APROPOS of your editorial 8216;Quality of mercy8217; IE, October 12, the issue of clemency, particularly to Mohammed Afzal, has been blown out of proportions. In fact the present scenario highlights the Congress party8217;s inherent policy of appeasement rather than its concerns for justice. It must have come as a rude shock to Congress stalwarts like Ghulam Nabi Azad, when the apex court observed that any decision on clemency should neither be based on undue consideration of caste, political loyalty and religion nor be swayed by the momentary considerations of majoritarian argument or minority sentiment.

8212; Ved Guliani, Hisar

Judging George

8226; CHARGES are unbelievable against the seasoned politician George Fernandes who has taken on the Congress over its excesses and irregularities while in power. I remember that Fernandes was implicated in a bomb blast case under Indira Gandhi8217;s regime. He fought elections while in jail and won by a margin almost six lakh votes. When he was the defence minister, he removed the main gate of his bungalow to give freer access to the public. After Mahatma Gandhi, Fernandes is perhaps the only politician to lead a frugal life. In the Congress, in contrast, there are leaders who have been living in well-appointed apartments or sprawling farm houses, with not a few believed to have Swiss bank accounts. In any case, whose money is being spent on the high profile security of Sonia Gandhi8217;s children? Is this not an example of corruption and misuse of power?

8212; Harish Awasthi, New Delhi

Riot victims

8226; THE special TADA court has, thankfully, been in a mood to convict people in the Bombay blasts of 1993. Hopefully some convictions can also be secured in the riots that followed the blasts where the minority community was targeted. The Maharashtra government should go full steam in implementing the Srikrishna Commission8217;s report on the riots and also provide justice, at last, to hundreds of families.

8212; Pranav Sachdeva, New Delhi

Salam Kalam

8226; PRESIDENT A.P.J. Kalam would be 75 on October 15 and here8217;s wishing the president a very happy birthday. Abdul Kalam ko mera salam, tum jio hazaro sal. A second term would be an appropriate birthday present to our president. President Kalam is perhaps the most educated and qualified president ever of any country and we should be proud that he belongs to our country.

8212; S.N. Kabra, Mumbai