Sacrificial leaves
Sir — Jagadish Chandra Bose would have been heartbroken at the plight of plants in the world at present. While more and more people are buying plants these days, the reasons for such purchases are often selfish. Plants are expected to clean the air, provide people with a serotonin boost, and, now, in a latest invention, plants are also being tasked with keeping people away from their phones. A tech company has come up with a planter where the grow light to keep the plant alive will come on only if one places one’s phone inside the planter. Taking the phone out for prolonged periods will kill the plant. Given how addicted people are to their phones, many plants will surely be sacrificed in this process.
Rima Roy,
Calcutta
Too late
Sir — The Delhi High Court has cancelled the income-tax reassessment case against the veteran journalists, Prannoy and Radhika Roy. In simple terms, the income tax department had tried to revisit an old tax year again, even though it had already checked it earlier. The court said this was not acceptable and ordered the department to pay Rs 1 lakh each to the Roys. This is a welcome correction but it comes too late. Thanks to the case against the Roys, they were forced to sell their share in NDTV, which has since been bought by the industrialist, Gautam Adani, much to the detriment of the mediascape.
Anupam Neogi,
Calcutta
Sir — The recent decision of the Delhi High Court has ended a long tax case against Prannoy and Radhika Roy by throwing out the reassessment notices. Many people will see this as a basic issue of fairness. If the government has already examined a tax year and passed an order, it should not reopen the same point without a strong legal reason. But the timing is sad. NDTV is no longer the channel people once knew.
Chitra Ghosh,
Calcutta
Sir — The IT case against the Roys dragged on for years. The Delhi High Court has now said the notices and follow-up actions are invalid. The IT department has also been told to pay compensation to the Roys. For ordinary citizens, this matters because it shows that even powerful agencies have limits. Yet the judgment arrives too late to change the larger reality — NDTV has already lost its earlier independence.
Altaf Khan,
Mumbai
Sir — The Delhi High Court has given relief to Prannoy and Radhika Roy by cancelling the tax department’s reassessment case. People would be right to ask why it took almost a decade to reach this verdict. Legal victories mean less when they arrive so late.
Ubaida Abul Hasanat,
Mumbai
Sir — The Delhi High Court verdict in the Prannoy Roy and Radhika Roy matter should concern anyone who pays taxes. The court said the income-tax department could not keep reopening the same assessment year for an identical issue. It also ordered the department to pay Rs 1 lakh each to the Roys as costs. This is a clear reminder that rules apply to the State too. But the ruling feels delayed. NDTV has changed ownership, and the institution has already declined.
Sreemoyee Acharya,
Calcutta
Unhealthy practice
Sir — The National Eligibility cum Entrance Test-Post Graduate cut-off being lowered to minus 40 marks — zero percentile — for reserved categories has understandably upset many people. It sounds like failure is being rewarded. This is arguable being done to fill vacant seats. However, the bigger question is why so many postgraduate seats are lying empty in the first place, especially in private colleges. Lowering the cut-off may fill seats but it does not fix training quality. A medical degree affects patients, not just careers. The system needs clearer rules, better supervision, and honest accountability.
P. Khandewal,
Patiala, Punjab
Sir — The panic around ‘minus 40 doctors’ is easy to spread. But a low score in a multiple choice question exam does not automatically mean a person will be a bad doctor. It does mean that the screening process is being treated casually. Postgraduate training should never become a seat-filling exercise. If colleges cannot attract students without extreme cut-offs, something is wrong with incentives and regulation. Patients deserve doctors trained in real hospitals with real supervision.
P.V. Prakash,
Bengaluru
Poor gig
Sir — Much discussion has been had recently on gig workers who risk their lives to deliver things within short periods of time. But less is known about women domestic workers who can be hired through gig apps. App-based domestic work is being sold as dignity with a timer. Women working for platforms like Snabbit earn more than they did in many earlier jobs, but they still spend hours waiting on pavements and in parks for a booking to come in. No shade, no toilets, and no safe place to change clothes is not a small inconvenience. It is basic neglect. If these companies can track workers through GPS and ratings, they can surely also provide proper resting spots. The government must insist on it.
Shreya Basu,
Nainital
Move on
Sir — The Australian Open opening ceremony sounded less like a sporting launch and more like a tribute concert. Roger Federer deserves respect, but the focus on him felt excessive for a tournament that is meant to celebrate current competition. A full stadium, live music, and a scripted exhibition match created a neat television package. It also pushed today’s players into the background. Fans are paying to see the sport move forward, not only to revisit its greatest memories.
Aranya Sanyal,
Calcutta