Poor taste

Sir — Most of us eagerly wait for wedding invitations simply for the opportunity to indulge in the multi-course bhuri-bhoj. However, a person from Canada attending a destination wedding in Italy was stunned upon discovering that the welcome dinner was not complimentary but priced at €40 per person. It is indeed an ungrateful gesture on the part of hosts to invite guests who are already spending on travel and accommodation to attend such destination weddings and then charge them for food. Guests in such a predicament thus cannot be judged if they forgo the etiquette of giving a wedding gift.

Tapsi Sikdar,
Delhi

Strong censure

Sir — The Supreme Court’s verdict on the powers of governors vis-à-vis pending bills is significant (“One-month clock set on governors”, April 9). The court struck down the decision of the Tamil Nadu governor, R.N. Ravi, to reserve 10 re-enacted state bills for presidential assent. The ruling forbids the governor, a constitutional head, from indefinitely withholding bills sent by state assemblies for approval.

Ravi’s decision to withhold assent to 10 key bills passed by the Tamil Nadu legislature has negatively impacted the welfare and development of the state. A holder of a constitutional post cannot consider himself or herself to be above the Constitution. Those occupying high offices must abide by the Constitution in letter and spirit.

G. David Milton,
Maruthancode, Tamil Nadu

Sir — The order in The State of Tamil Nadu vs The Governor of Tamil Nadu is an indictment of the conduct of R.N. Ravi who has violated gubernatorial norms with impunity. It is disconcerting that the apex court had to intervene and set a timeline for governors to give or deny assent to bills passed by legislatures. The judicial rap has not only reinforced the federal principle but also rendered Ravi’s position as governor untenable.

N. Sadhasiva Reddy,
Bengaluru

Sir — While hearing the Tamil Nadu government’s petition challenging R.N. Ravi’s inaction on bills, the Supreme Court ruled that such an action is illegal and arbitrary and that governors cannot hold bills forever. The court also fixed a one-month time frame for governors to withhold assent to a bill for referring to the president (“Timely justice” April 10).

The tenuous ties between the governments of some Opposition-ruled states and their respective governors over a range of issues, such as approval of bills and appointments of vice-chancellors, are disconcerting. The foremost instances of this include the hostilities between the Mamata Banerjee-ruled dispensation in West Bengal and the governor, C.V. Ananda Bose, and between the former Aam Aadmi Party government in Delhi and the lieutenant-governor, VK Saxena.

Abhijit Roy,
Jamshedpur

Sir — The Supreme Court’s criticism of R.N. Ravi’s prolonged inaction over bills re-passed by the Tamil Nadu assembly is not only a blow to his arrogance but also a slap on the face of the Bharatiya Janata Party regime at the Centre. The landmark judgment by the Supreme Court underlines that governors cannot arbitrarily withhold assent to bills. It sends a strong message about preserving democratic processes and is likely to have broader implications for gubernatorial functions.

Ranganathan Sivakumar,
Chennai

Loss of greenery

Sir — The editorial, “Green murder” (April 7), highlights that more than 13,000 square kilometres of India’s forest areas are under encroachment. The proposed auction of 400 acres of land in the Kancha Gachibowli forest in Telangana in favour of building an IT park is alarming. The forest is rich in biodiversity and destroying it will have a huge impact on the local ecosystem. The Supreme Court’s decision to halt the tree-felling in Kancha Gachibowli is heartening.

Vinay Asawa,
Howrah

Sir — “Green murder” provided a distressing outlook on India’s forest lands. The depletion of forests as a result of urbanisation is contributing to climate change. The government needs to put a halt to the mindless destruction of green cover and implement restoration measures.

Melville X. D’Souza,
Mumbai

Heavy burden

Sir — The Centre has increased the price of domestic LPG by 50 rupees (“Cooking gas price jacked up by Rs 50”, April 8). The hike is extremely taxing for the middle class, which is already grappling with inflation. The government should roll back the hike.

Sravana Ramachandran,
Chennai

Sir — The increase in the price of domestic cooking gas is in contradiction to the global trend, which is signalling a fall in crude oil prices. This decision may lead to inflation and reduce the purchasing power of the common people. Further, the price hike may derail the transition to cleaner fuels. Compensation policies like government subsidies and grants to the public sector oil marketing companies are required to counter this.

Prasun Kumar Dutta,
West Midnapore