Rule of law

Sir — The Calcutta high court has put the West Bengal government in a spot by convicting four senior officials, including the director-general of police and the district magistrate of Jalpaiguri (“Guilty: Bengal’s see-no-evil elite”, Mar 3). The guilty have been handed out a six-month jail term for failing to obey court orders to break up a mob of protesters who were preventing judges and lawyers from entering the district court in Jalpaiguri. The government, as expected, has decided to appeal against the verdict in the Supreme Court, thereby showing that those in power are in the habit of challenging judgments that they find unsuitable.

Court orders banning bandhs and political rallies have not only been flouted but also criticized by political parties, thereby making a mockery of the judiciary. Under the circumstances, it was imperative that the courts punished errant officials to uphold democracy and prove that everyone is equal before the law of the land. This significant ruling should restore the public’s faith in the judiciary and also warn politicians and bureaucrats against flouting the rules.

Yours faithfully,
S. Bhattacharjee, Calcutta

Sir — India is under the rule of apathetic politicians and corrupt administrators. Fortunately, the judiciary is aware of this pathetic situation and has repeatedly stepped in to preserve the fundamental rights of the people. The Calcutta high court’s verdict against the officials will make the common people happy simply because the latter are often harassed by these high-handed public servants. Nevertheless, the judiciary must tread cautiously and ensure that the verdict does not not disturb the balance of power among the various arms of the state.

Yours faithfully,
Narayan Das, Calcutta

Sir — Some of the judgments passed by the Calcutta high court have embarrassed the Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee government greatly. Earlier, in a landmark judgment, the court called for shifting the venue of the book fair. This was followed by the court quashing the prohibitory orders in Singur and accusing the district administration of not following the rules. Despite these verdicts, the government and its servants continued to take the court’s directives lightly. However, this could not have gone on forever, and the law seems to have finally caught up with some of Bengal’s high and mighty. Hopefully, the verdict will force others to follow court directives in letter and spirit from now on.

Yours faithfully,
A.S. Mehta, Calcutta

Sir — The judiciary has taken appropriate action against politicians and bureaucrats for deliberate violation of court orders. It can now be expected that the administration will act in a sensible manner when it comes to matters concerning public convenience and civic liberties and follow judicial directives without favouring the party in power.

Yours faithfully,
G. Bhattacharya, Midnapur

Sir — While there is no denying the fact that the police and the civil administration should have made an all-out effort to implement the high court’s directives, a more pertinent issue in this case is the demand that the high court circuit bench that has been set up should start functioning immediately.

The piling up of cases in various courts in the country is already testing the patience of litigants.Under no circumstances can the judiciary be allowed to absolve itself of its responsibility. Delays caused as a result of pending cases should be brought under scrutiny.

Yours faithfully,
A.K. Brahmo, Calcutta

Parting shot

Sir — The headline for the review of the Calcutta Chamber Orchestra concert on the February 24 read “Profane music at a sacred venue” (March 3). It was great to have a critic, but I wish somebody had checked the title and noted the use of the word, ‘profane’. It would have been good to know what word was intended for use in the title. Was it supposed to be ‘profound’? Also, please note that the correct spelling of the conductor’s name is Pheroze Mistri. Thank you for your attention and the coverage of the concert.

Yours faithfully,
Anne Dahl, Calcutta

‘Profane’ — from Latin profanus, ‘outside the temple, not sacred’ — means, in modern English, non-religious or secular. This is a descriptive, and not a pejorative, usage (unlike ‘profanation’ or ‘profanity’). We did intend to use this word, and not ‘profound’, in our headline, to describe the kind of music being played, without implying any value judgment.

— The Editor