• J.S. Verma deserves credit for making it explicit that it is for the executive to accept or reject the recommendations of the collegium. It is sincerely hoped that the executive will take this view at face value and will exercise discretion without fear and favour. But,I,having held sufficiently high positions in the executive as well as in the judiciary,feel that the true source of the malaise has not been touched by anybody. There is nothing wrong with the collegium system,but asking the executive to exercise its discretion to right a wrong at the final stage of the appointment process does not address the root cause,which is the lack of transparency in the appointment of judges in the high courts,especially in respect of elevation from the bar. One wonders what prevents the collegium from advertising the vacancies,or at least sending circulars to various courts and bar associations inviting applications.
G.C. Srivastava
New Delhi
Bunking questions
• This refers to Question Hour cut short as MPs absent. This is a mockery of the Parliament. Further it is also an unnecessary waste of time for those who have spent precious hours in preparing replies to the skipped questions. Perhaps a provision ought to be made whereby a parliamentarian skipping his/her own question may not receive daily allowance for that day. Or a more severe measure of barring him/her from asking any more questions for rest of his/her term in Parliament.
Madhu Agrawal
Delhi
• It seems as though the manner in which many of our MPs are treating parliamentary proceedings is a revelation of the weakness of our system. MPs should realise that they owe a duty to the people who have elected them.
K.V. Rao
• It seems as though once the elections are over the spirit and soul of democracy evaporate. Elected leaders appear to be unserious about national objectives,are undisciplined and disinterested. This is not only a poor reflection on democracy but sets bad examples for the following generation. It should be remembered that time lost in mending the democratic system will only be at the nations cost.
Mool Chand Gupta
New Delhi
In context
• This refers to Stop using Lashkar,insurgents for policy goals,Obama warns Pak. President Barack Obamas message is merely to assuage Indias strong feelings over the matter. For the White House cannot afford to thoughtlessly displease the largest democracy. One does need to look back in order to understand the genesis of the US Pakistan-tilt prior to the disintegration of the Soviet Union. During that period the ruling junta in Pakistan offered a permanent military base to western bloc powers as a counter to the communist threat. Thus the relationship grew,as did a massive dose of continued arms aid. And this,for India,resulted in innumerable terrorist attacks.
Arun Malankar
