Letters to the Editor

October 18, regarding the Priyadarshini Mattoo verdict. One, Santosh Kumar, by using or abusing his connections as the son of a highly-placed police official, has only managed to postpone the day of reckoning. Two, the only consolation for the parents of the deceased law student is that the man who murdered their daughter is today behind bars. Three, all those policemen who have connived with the father of the accused, by disregarding the law, have brought disgrace to their force and deserve to be punished by having their pensionary benefits denied to them. Indeed, if the repeated complaints Priyadarshini Mattoo had made against Santosh Kumar were acted upon, this tragedy may have been averted. Finally, compliments are due to The Indian Express for its campaign for justice in the case.

8212;M.K.D. Prasada Rao, Ghaziabad

8226; At last justice has seen the light of day in the Priyadarshini Mattoo case. Better late than never, I suppose, although it is true that justice delayed is indeed justice denied. Congratulations to the media for the extraordinary role it played in the case, and to the conscious citizens of the country who patiently campaigned day after day for justice. There should be some strong exemplary chastisement meted out to all those responsible for botching up the case in the first instance. One can only hope that the pro-active support shown by the media, the CBI and the judiciary will continue in other, lesser-known cases involving ordinary people.

8212;Savio Falleiro, Margao

8226; There is widespread public satisfaction over the conviction of Priyadarshini Mattoo8217;s murderer. But it opens up another issue about the judgment of the lower court. While doctors are held responsible for messing up a case and can be tried in a court of law, one wonders why the same logic cannot be applied to judges. This is relevant because of the observations on the earlier verdict by the two-judge bench of the Delhi High Court.

8212;V.R. Madhavan, Mumbai

On the DOTS

8226; The story captioned 8216;Good news on TB: A million lives saved8217; IE, October 18 referred to DOTS as 8216;Directly Observed Treatment System8217;. It is actually 8216;Directly Observed Treatment Short Course8217;. Under DOTS, health workers go to the patient, deliver the medicine and observe that it is taken by the patient in their presence. For this, a cash of Rs 5 is paid to the patient daily as an incentive. This continues for a month. Once the patient gets used to the monetary incentive she goes to the hospital to receive the medicine after a one-month period.

8212;G. Mohanty, New Delhi

Holiday notices

8226; When holidays come around, the Sheila Dixit-led Congress government takes out huge ads in all the national dailies announcing holidays for liquor shops. One fails to understand what is so special about liquor shops that people need to be reminded of the days they are shut? Whatever may be the justification, a government that claims Mahatma Gandhi8217;s legacy does not cover itself with glory with such advertising. It gives the impression that the government is only interested in revenue but does not want to admit it openly.

8212;G.S. Kulkarni, Delhi