Opinion Ambiguous ruling
In January 2005,a Constitution bench of the Supreme Court had unanimously held,in K. Prabhakaran vs P. Jayarajan
Ambiguous ruling
* In January 2005,a Constitution bench of the Supreme Court had unanimously held,in K. Prabhakaran vs P. Jayarajan,that the purpose of Section 8(4) of the Representation of the People Act,1951,is not to confer an unfair advantage on any category of persons but to protect the House. A potential result of the instant disqualification of a convicted member of the House is that an incumbent government will be left with a razor-thin majority and this could have a deleterious effect on its functioning and on national stability. Also,by-elections may be further complicated in the event of a conviction later being overruled. Section 8(4) ceases to apply as soon as the House is dissolved,in any case. I wonder if a two-judge bench can overrule a five-judge Constitution bench that had upheld the unequal treatment of sitting MPs as a reasonable restriction to the right to equality.
Hemant Kumar
Ambala
Exiting giants
* THIS refers to ArcelorMittal scraps Rs 50,000 crore Orissa project,to pursue two others (IE,July 18). Shortly after the liberalised FDI policy was announced,India lost two gargantuan foreign investments,as Posco pulled out of Karnataka and ArcelorMittal made an exit from Orissa. The reasons for exiting,being put forth by both steel companies,are the delays in the acquisition of land and in securing iron ore linkages. The government should have been more assiduous in making sure that both these steel giants kept investing in India. Better late than never,the government should try to woo them back as our CAD can not afford to lose these investments,both worth billions of dollars.
Vijay D. Patil
Remembering Bapu
* THIS refers to Two men and an idea by Enuga Reddy (IE,July 18). The writer brings out the fact that Mahatma Gandhi,the very apostle of peace and non-violence,influenced not just the people of India,but even great leaders across continents thousands of miles away,like Nelson Mandela and Martin Luther King Jr. Love and non-violence are far more potent in bringing about change than any lethal weapon. This is a message that some disgruntled groups that have taken up arms should pay heed to. Change,whether political,social or economic,will last longer if it comes about through peaceful means. As Bapu said all his life,the means are as important as the ends.
Rajan Kaushal
Nahan
File systems
* THE Bihar midday meal tragedy is just one of several systemic failures that have come to light. As though on cue,news of contaminated midday meals and drinking water has been pouring in from all over the country. The government will most likely respond by appointing a new committee to look into these egregious failures. This will not help. Systems need to be put in place,and not just according to government files,but in reality.
Alok Asthana
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