Coronavirus should not be taken lightly
Bill Gates prediction a year ago of a deadly virus hitting China has come true but the estimate of 33 million people dying in six months sounds alarming. Coronavirus should not be taken lightly and World Health Organisation (WHO) should declare an medical emergency across the globe. Prevention is always better than cure and infact an only remedy when the deadly virus has no cure at the moment. China might underplay the magnitude of Coronavirus as it may create panic but the situation seems grim and time for alarm bells to be pressed so that every available measure can be tried to prevent the disease from spreading.
The government should create awareness about the disease and respiratory ailments should not be neglected. Laboratories to test the disease should be set up in every city and citizens showing signs of the ailment should be shifted to special wards for wellness and treatment. The population of the world has multiplied enormously over the years in shocking proportion and diseases like Coronavirus could be nature’s way to control world population.
S.N.Kabra
India divided on religious lines
Today, India is being blatantly divided on the basis of religion. We citizens have never faced this kind of problem during the Congress regime. Amit Shah and Narendra Modi are only dividing country on communal basis. Every citizen of India has the right to voice their opinion whether the duo likes it or not.
Jubel D’Cruz
Limit number of pages in court-verdict
Courts especially Supreme Court are giving very lengthy judgements at times running into hundreds or thousands of pages like Supreme Court verdict of November 9, 2019 on Ram Janmabhoomi, which are practically not read by common persons including even litigants themselves and are even beyond understanding of commoners. Such lengthy court-verdicts are show-pieces for libraries and are read only by researchers and select lawyers. Need is that commoners including litigants may find short and precise court-verdicts so that they may not have to depend on lawyers to know salient features of the lengthy court-verdicts. Such an improved system will prevent media and commentators to twist court-findings according to their needs.
Things can improve a lot if India also adopts practice of countries where there is a limit on number of pages of court-verdicts which is different for Supreme Court, High Courts and Trial Courts in those countries. Or else, every lengthy court-verdict exceeding say 50 pages may be compulsorily accompanied by a precise version with a limit of say 50 pages to be simultaneously issued and posted on website on date of judgement itself.
Recommendations of meeting of Chairpersons of Computer Committees of High Courts chaired by the then Supreme Court Judge Justice Madan B Lokur (Judge in-charge of e-Committee of Supreme Court) on 2-3 August 2014 emphasised that for sake of uniformity, A-4 size paper-sheets should be used in preparing orders, judgements and depositions should be adopted abolishing British legacy of legal-size paper in courts.
Subhash Chandra Agrawal
AP government once again wants to abolish Legislative Council
It refers to Andhra Pradesh cabinet once again deciding to abolish useless provision of Legislative Council in the state. Andhra Pradesh has a unique record of setting and abolishing Legislative Council with first time set up in the year 1958 and then again in the year 2007 after being abolishing in the year 1985 and now decided to be abolished in the year 2020.
There was a post-emergency era in the year 1977 when Legislative Councils remained in just five states, but now being again constituted in other states. Presently apart from Andhra Pradesh, five other states Bihar, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Telangana, and Uttar Pradesh have Legislative Councils, while proposals to create Legislative Councils in Rajasthan and Assam are pending in the Rajya Sabha. The Parliamentary Committee that examined the Rajasthan Bill advocated for the evolution of a national policy for creation or abolition of Legislative Councils rather than at the whims and fancy of a newly elected Government in the State.
Best is to altogether abolish constitutional provision of having Legislative Councils. These serve no practical purpose other than rehabilitation of family-members and other favourites of political rulers including several rejected ones of general elections to be employed at public-expense just to provide an expensive feather on caps of those elected. Ruling parties in states also manipulate winning of its candidates in elections to Legislative Council by misuse of power.
Madhu Agrawal
(The views expressed by the author in the article are his/her own.)
