Opinion Commonwealth Games 2010
Commonwealth Games 2010 has evoked diverse reactions in view of the surrounding controversies.
Commonwealth Games 2010 has evoked diverse reactions in view of the surrounding controversies. Former Sports Minister Mani Shankar Aiyar says he will not be unhappy if the Games fail,a petulant sentiment which few will endorse. Sports Minister M.S. Gill is confident about the Games success and justified his optimism in the Rajya Sabha with folklore from Punjab and wedding metaphors. Then we witness Chief Minister Sheila Dikshits outburst castigating critics of the Games as unpatriotic. In view of the scams tumbling out every day,criticism is inescapable. Besides the critics include sports personalities and apolitical public spirited persons who want the Games to be a success. Before invoking patriotism one must remember Dr Johnsons celebrated retort,patriotism is the last refuge of the scoundrel.
Should Suresh Kalmadi go? That depends on whether his presence is indispensable. Are there no persons who could effectively oversee and ensure the successful outcome of the Games? Kalmadis continuance would be most embarrassing as the volley of questions he will face from foreign journalists will not be about the athletes and the sporting aspects of the event,but about the manifold scams which have erupted. In the interest of the nation,in the interest of the Games and in his own interest Kalmadi should temporarily step down without any admission of guilt. If he is exonerated,he can return as a hero. I am sure Times Now will be the first to do him the honour.
Justice by the beach
Five judges of the UK Supreme Court headed by its president Lord Justice Phillips travelled to the sun-soaked island of Mauritius to dispense justice. The Supreme Court judges are also members of the judicial committee of the Privy Council which acts as a final court of appeal for some Commonwealth countries including Mauritius. The judges were accommodated in a luxurious five-star hotel. Mauritian authorities paid for their flights and accommodation. The British tax payer had to foot a negligible amount for sending legal papers to and from Mauritius.
The judges visit was in response to a request from the Mauritian Attorney General made with a view to avoid Mauritian litigants the cost of instructing London solicitors and also the cost and inconvenience of travel to London. Besides it enabled Mauritian citizens to see their final court of appeal in action. The judges arrived on 24th April and returned to Britain on 1st May. During this time they heard six cases spread over five days which included two tax disputes and a complaint over a police investigation. Four judges took along their spouses who paid their own way. Apparently,judges in the Privy Council had in the past agreed to sit abroad when there are enough cases to justify their doing so and only at the invitation of the particular government concerned.
At first blush this appeared rather odd. On second thoughts there is nothing wrong in combining work with pleasure and dispensing justice by the beach. The judges did judicial work in Mauritius which they would have done sitting in metropolitan London. They did not go on a pleasure cruise to Singapore unlike our former CJI and some judges of our Supreme Court.
Muslim women on the march
It is reported that 100-odd Muslim women marched in Lucknow waving placards and shouting slogans against the bizarre fatwas recently issued by the Dar-ul-Uloom Deoband. One of the marchers complained that women are forbidden to ride bicycles,join public office without hijab,talk loudly,join the judiciary or even talk to their fiance before marriage. And her pertinent question was,just why not? Another Muslim woman,a school teacher,said her daughter is studying to be a graduate. She cycles down to her college and observes no purdah. The mother did the same in a place like Azamgarh and wonders why the present restrictions in this time and age? These women are not rebellious nor anti-Islamic. Their concerns are genuine. It is hoped that Dar-ul-Uloom Deoband will see the writing on the wall and address their concerns in the right spirit.
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