Corporal punishment to students has become a controversial subject. There have been instances of excessive beating by teachers, causing injury and sometimes death. TV channels reported it for a day, some discussed it for a few minutes and everything was forgotten. A boy from La Martiniere in Calcutta died in February. After three and half months the death became controversial.
Tag: law and order
Bhopal Gas Leak Verdict
On 7/6/2010 CJM Mohan P. Tiwari delivered judgment in Bhopal gas leak case. All the accused were sentenced to two years imprisonment and were released on bail. Many say justice is not done. The gas leak happened in December 1984. CBI filed the chargesheet in 1987. In 1996 the Supreme Court reduced the culpable homicide…
National Highway 39
National Highway 39 in Manipur has been blocked by some Nagas since 11/4/2010. Prices have shot up in Manipur. Life has become difficult. Manipur government has done nothing to stop the blockade. Indian government has done nothing to stop the blockade. National Highway 53 also came under blockade. However some suppliers were brought through under…
Murders, not honour killings
Murder is murder whoever commits it for whatever reason. Murder does not become honour killing because murderers think a marriage was against the honour of family or community.
Many times people in media talk of honour killings. They persist even after they are told that they are murders.
Death to terrorist
On 6/5/2010 special sessions judge M. L. Tahaliyani sentenced Ajmal Kasab to death on five counts. People in general expected death penalty and were happy at the judgment. Public prosecutor Ujjwal Nikam was on all channels.
The death penalty has to be confirmed by the High Court. Thereafter it can be challenged in the Supreme Court. After that mercy petition can be filed. Pratibha Patil does not want to reject any mercy petition and with her as president there is no hope of Ajmal Kasab being put to death.
As of now mercy petitions are decided on a monthly basis, one case at a time. Home Ministry advised rejection of two mercy petitions. Pratibha Patil did not do that. It may take more than two years to dispose of the present pending cases.
26/11 Judgment
On 3/5/2010 special sessions judge M. L. Tahaliyani declared Ajmal Kasab guilty of 86 charges of 26/11 attack. Sentencing to follow later. Two other accused, Fahim Ansari and Sabahuddin Ahmed, were acquitted.
The judgment could have come early if the chargesheet against Ajmal Kasab was restricted to the crimes he committed instead of it being a chargesheet including all crimes connected to 26/11. Nine terrorists connected to 26/11 were dead, the conspirators were in Pakistan and Pakistan was not willing to hand over them to India. Having a chargesheet over 10,000 pages and examining witnesses not connected to Ajmal Kasab’s crimes prolonged the trial. There could have been separate chargesheets for different crimes of 26/11 attack.
Trials for terrorism and waging war against the state should be different from other trial. The state should not provide the lawyers. The accused should hire the lawyers themselves. If the accused are unable to hire lawyers trials should proceed without defence lawyers.
IPL controversies
IPL was started to crush ICL. BCCI used its clout to get ICC ban players taking part in ICL. ICL had players from different countries. It was unfair to ban players taking part in ICL.
IPL got franchisees and sponsors. Players were auctioned. ICL suffered loss and disappeared.
Media gave good coverage to IPL. The telecast of matches was in the evening or at night. The matches provided entertainment and an alternative for movies and TV serials. People were fed up of K serials and they watched IPL.
India and Terrorism
India faces terrorism within and abroad. Indians in Afghanistan are targets of terrorism. Asking Pakistan to hand over terrorists has not helped. When the evidence is presented to Pakistan’s foreign secretary he calls it literature.
India, Qatar and democracy
Some feel M. F. Husain should not have accepted Qatar nationality because Qatar is not a democracy. They have not considered the reality.
Qatar has better rule of law than India. M. F. Husain felt safe in Qatar. In India people who call for murder of someone are not arrested. Is that democracy?
Maqbool Fida Husain, India and Qatar
Maqbool Fida Husain, a famous painter from India, has been offered Qatar nationality and he has applied for it. He has said “I, the Indian origin painter M. F. Husain at 95, have been honoured by Qatar nationality.â€
M. F. Husain has attracted controversy for his paintings. Exhibitions having his paintings were disrupted. There were many court cases against him. His life was in danger. For many years he lived abroad. He was not in exile because the government did not banish him.