Great equaliser

Sir — The rising discomfort from heat has become a palpable reality. Amidst this, the Government of India has announced a new provision that will soon make it mandatory for air conditioners to operate only within a set temperature range — between 20°C and 28°C. While its rationale lies in a broader push for sustainable energy usage, can such move alleviate people’s sufferings? Some are miffed at comfort being turned into a government-controlled commodity. But the standardised temperature, one can argue, will finally put paid to the quarrels stemming from comfort preferences.

Subhra Goswami,
Delhi

Gruesome act

Sir — The cold-blooded murder of a newly-wed man from Indore by his wife while on their honeymoon in Meghalaya was abominable (“Wife held in UP after Meghalaya trip ‘murder’”, June 10). The details of the premeditated homicide near Wei Sawdong Falls in East Khasi Hills rival those depicted in crime fiction. The family of the accused, Sonam Raghuvanshi, disapproved of her relationship with her lover, Raj Singh Khushwaha, and got her married to Raja Raghuvanshi.

The manner in which she plotted her husband’s murder with her lover reveals a dark side of human nature. She had claimed that she was kidnapped, her husband died protecting her, and that she lost consciousness after the incident and did not know how she reached Ghazipur. These seem very much fabricated.

G. David Milton,
Maruthancode, Tamil Nadu

Sir — The involvement of Sonam Raghuvanshi in the murder of her husband lays bare the moral degradation of society. The decriminalisation of adultery by the Supreme Court in the 2018 Joseph Shine versus Union of India case provided the necessary thrust to make society more progressive and gender-neutral. It is also imperative that students receive moral education in schools and are made aware of social vulnerabilities.

Prasun Kumar Dutta,
West Midnapore

Sir — Rising cases of mariticide and uxoricide indicate India’s damaged social fabric. Married couples are not being sincere and are often exploring romantic relationships outside the marriage. Parents must ask their children about their wishes instead of forcing them into arranged marriages. Society, it seems, is in need of reform.

Jayanthy Subramaniam,
Mumbai

Sir — The autopsy report of Raja Raghuvanshi has revealed that he suffered fatal head injuries inflicted with a sharp-edged weapon. His wife, Sonam Raghuvanshi, her lover, and three others who stand accused of killing Raja Raghuvanshi must be given the strictest punishment to teach society a lesson.

A.P. Thiruvadi,
Chennai

Transparent move

Sir — The moral and ethical obligations of the judiciary are deeply rooted in the principles of the Constitution. Judges are expected to be transparent and accountable in their actions. Disclosing one’s assets is a means to ensure that. Asset disclosure must be made mandatory for judges in the higher courts to eradicate corruption and sustain public trust in the justice system.

P. Victor Selvaraj,
Tamil Nadu

Sir — In the illuminating article, “Court transparency” (June 11), authored by Kishalaya Mishra and Trisha Shreyashi, it has been very aptly said that “The immunity conferred on the honourable justices exempted from disclosing assets to protect judicial independence is an affront to reason, reeking of entitlement and defiance of democratic principles.”

The Judicial Standards and Accountability Bill, 2009, which was shelved with the dissolution of the Lok Sabha, needs to be reintroduced afresh in the spirit of maintaining checks and balances. The Indian judiciary must see reason to maintain its reputation and the respect it commands nationally and internationally.

Jahar Saha,
Calcutta

Mistaken identity

Sir — There was a factual error in the article, “Mutual dependence” (April 12), by Sunanda K. Datta-Ray. He stated that the renowned dentist-cum-politician, Rafiuddin Ahmed (1890-1965), wrote the book, The Bengal Muslims 1871-1906: A Quest for Identity, quoting the Bharatiya Janata Party politician, Tathagata Roy. This is incorrect. The namesake of Dr Rafiuddin Ahmed, the academician and historian, Rafiuddin Ahmed (b. 1941), wrote the book, which was first published in 1981 by Oxford University Press one and a half decades after the death of the dentist-politician, Rafiuddin Ahmed. The book was based on the historian’s DPhil thesis, which he completed at Oxford University under the supervision of Tapan Raychaudhuri in 1977.

Maidul Islam,
Calcutta

Pulpy delight

Sir — Tezpur recently marked 100 years of its iconic litchis. But litchis are not yet famous globally because of limited production.

Noopur Baruah,
Tezpur