With strings attached

Sir — Perhaps the fire-bombing at the Jewish school in Montreal did upset Russell Crowe so much that he offered to help rebuild its library (“Generous Crowe aids school hit by racist attack”, April 29). But was generosity his only motivation? Somewhere in his subconscious, was not magnanimity tinged with the need to ensure that the world knew he cared? This is the problem with the charity of celebrities. Never are their acts of kindness unaccompanied by a lot of hoopla in the media. The recipients of such generosity don’t complain because they too get some free publicity in exchange. But let us not call this charity.

Yours faithfully,
Shubhra Roy, Calcutta

Turn of tide

Sir — The Supreme Court’s order of a retrial of the Best Bakery case in a court under the jurisdiction of the Bombay high court is a landmark judgment (“Riot retrial away from ‘Neros’ glare”, April 13). The apex court has shown remarkable sensitivity in its assessment of the criminal justice system. It has gone beyond mere procedure to evaluate whether the establishment has acted fairly in a matter that has caused so much social upheaval. The Best Bakery case clearly exposes the Gujarat government’s communal bias. But the entire burden of enforcing secularism cannot be left to the Supreme Court. The people too must turn in a clear verdict against communalism in the elections.

Yours faithfully,
R. Sekar, Angul, Orissa

Sir — The indictment of the Gujarat judiciary and the state government reaffirms the people’s faith in the apex court as the last resort for the downtrodden. L.K. Advani, Narendra Modi and their cohorts may say this is judicial activism, but those who have survived the state-sponsored pogrom can now hope for some relief. There should now be an investigation by the Central Bureau of Investigation into the Godhra tragedy. For too long the sangh parivar has obliquely justified the Gujarat carnage as the outcome of the Godhra tragedy. The modern day Neros have the support of the Bharatiya Janata Party’s top leadership. The latter may be making conciliatory noises to the Muslims now. But once the party gets a majority, its Hindutva agenda will be put on full throttle. Look at how Atal Bihari Vajpayee says Gujarat is an aberration and a little later is all praise for Modi. Muslims must realize that a leopard does not change its spots. But perhaps that is too much to expect of a community that is largely illiterate.

Yours faithfully,
Iqbal Ahmed, Calcutta

Sir — The Supreme Court has put a spanner in the works of the BJP which is trying hard to leave behind Narendra Modi’s Gujarat and embrace Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s Shining India. Having won the assembly elections post-Best Bakery and sundry atrocities on the minority community, Modi may have been under the illusion that all was well. But he had not bargained for the Supreme Court’s indictment. While this judgment is unique, it makes sense to have a law so that all sensitive cases are heard outside the state where they take place.

Yours faithfully,
Sunil Garodia, Calcutta

Sir — The Supreme Court directive on the Best Bakery case raises hopes that the rule of law will take its course in Gujarat. L.K. Advani may be all praise for Narendra Modi, but the court’s verdict reflects the ground reality in Gujarat where the violation of democratic norms has polarized communal relations and has encouraged and protected the perpetrators of the violence. These conditions have been created by Modi, in pursuit of his Hindutva agenda. Modi should resign in the face of the apex court’s mistrust in his rule. Or he should be dismissed for his failure to ensure the safety of innocents, a constitutional guarantee.

Yours faithfully,
Ram Puniyani, Mumbai

Sir — The Best Bakery directive is laudable as it shows that not only is the apex court impartial, but it also realizes the need to be seen as impartial — a fundamental principle of jurisprudence.

Yours faithfully,
Asoke C. Banerjee, Cambridge, US