Historic moment

• Sir - The unanimous verdict by nine judges of the Supreme Court recognizing privacy as a fundamental right protected by the Constitution of India is a historic one ("Privacy granted primacy", Aug 25). Although a number of judicial verdicts have recognized citizens' right to privacy, it has largely been considered a common law right. The apex court's verdict, however, has made it clear that the right to privacy is an integral part of a citizen's constitutional right to life and liberty.

Ambiguous judgments on the right to privacy in the past have been wilfully misinterpreted by successive governments in order to serve their own ends. But the Supreme Court's landmark judgment has made it difficult for the government to take advantage of the ambiguity surrounding the idea of privacy. It has empowered the citizen by upholding his right to be left alone and by preventing the State from invading his personal space.

A number of government policies are likely to be affected by this verdict. For one, the apex court said that sexual orientation is "an essential attribute of privacy"; as such, the rights and sexual preferences of people who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender are protected by the Constitution. This is a huge blow to the verdict that upheld Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code. Second, the Union government's arguments in favour of the validity of Aadhaar cards will no longer hold water. Above all, citizens' freedom of choice with regard to food and clothing - rights that have been trampled upon far too often in the recent past - will be protected by the ruling. Suffice it to say that the historic verdict will enrich our democracy.

Yours faithfully,

Buddhadev Nandi, Bankura

• Sir - A nine-judge constitution bench of the Supreme court has ruled that privacy is a fundamental right. However, it remains unclear as to how this verdict will be interpreted and applied in pending cases. What does privacy actually mean?

It is not possible to maintain absolute privacy in one's life. Human beings are social creatures, and in order to live a normal life one has to mingle in society and interact with other people. However, in order to maintain dignity and safety, a person must closely guard some aspects of his life. The State can only ask the citizen to reveal these details in order to grant access to welfare schemes, or in the case of financial transactions. In such cases, transparency is imperative, as any oversight might be harmful to the individual as well as to the nation. There have been instances where vast amounts of taxpayers' money have been stolen because the government did not have adequate information about where the funds were going. Thus, while the right to privacy should be upheld, it is equally important to clamp down on illegal activities being carried out under the pretext of maintaining privacy. The State must not allow any details that might endanger a citizen's life to be made available in the public domain; at the same time, it must scrutinize and root out corruption and militancy.

Yours faithfully,

Swapan Kumar Biswas,

Calcutta

Sir - Manini Chatterjee's article, "A supreme gift" (Aug 28), made many pertinent points about the apex court's verdict on the citizens' right to privacy. This is a privilege enshrined in the Constitution that the government, in spite of its majority in Parliament, cannot easily take away from the people. Chatterjee rightly observes that the verdict has come at a time when the country has been witnessing blatant bigotry in the name of religion. Moreover, the Centre's decree that Aadhaar cards were mandatory for pensioners also trampled upon the rights of elderly people. With its judgment, the Supreme Court has also protected the freedom of individuals and groups to eat and wear what they please.

The verdict also takes on special significance in the light of the fact that India celebrated the 70th year of its independence last month. Around the same time, the court also declared the practice of instant triple talaq - which has often been used to oppress women belonging to the minority community - unlawful.

One hopes that the two consecutive rulings by the Supreme Court shall have a lasting impact on the process of shaping a united India. It is a great relief for ordinary Indians that the justice system of the country has chosen to take a progressive stand on matters of importance.

Yours faithfully,

Basir Ahmed, Midnapore

Star players

• Sir - Saina Nehwal and P.V. Sindhu must be applauded for winning the bronze and silver medals respectively at the World Badminton Championship in Glasgow recently. Indian badminton is witnessing a golden phase, which began in 2009 when Nehwal won the Indonesian Open tournament. After that, she kept adding feathers to her cap, and won the bronze medal at the London Olympics in 2012.

Soon after, Sindhu started making her presence felt. She won the silver medal at the Rio Olympics in 2016. There was a time when world badminton was dominated by China, Korea and Japan. Now, Indian women have become a force to reckon with. Players such as Kidambi Srikanth and H.S. Prannoy have also started performing well on the international circuit. The former All England Champion, Prakash Padukone, rightly remarked that Sindhu's fight in the final match at Glasgow - in which she missed the gold medal by a hair's breadth - was one of the best he has ever seen.

Yours faithfully,

Indranil Sanyal,

Calcutta

Number game

• Sir - The controversy over the allegedly photoshopped image of the rally held on August 27 that was tweeted by the Rashtriya Janata Dal supremo, Lalu Prasad, could have been avoided. Given the political circumstances amidst which the rally was held, the size of the gathering at Gandhi Maidan would not have mattered. Moreover, there was no need for Prasad to tweet a fake image as the actual turnout was impressive. Large parts of Bihar and most RJD strongholds were flooded on the day of the rally making it difficult for people to turn up. Prasad also did not have enough time to travel in order to drum up support for the rally. The vast number of people who did turn up is proof that Prasad's sway over his core support base remains undiminished. No other political party could have hoped to hold a successful rally at a time when half the state was flooded and without electricity.

However, a crowded Gandhi Maidan is no longer the litmus test of popularity. Political parties, including the RJD, command huge resources and people do not attend rallies on their own will. They are brought in luxury buses and big cars and given the incentive of free food and accommodation. Often political parties also hire people to swell numbers at rallies. The large crowds at the rallies of the prime minister, Narendra Modi, in Bihar before the 2015 assembly elections are proof that support at rallies do not ensure political victory.

Yours faithfully,

Akhilesh Kumar,

Patna

Failed system

• Sir - The issue surrounding the alleged transfer of government funds to a non-governmental organization, Srijan Mahila Vikas Sahyog Samiti, in Bhagalpur is getting out of hand. The fraud is apparently worth around Rs 1,000 crore. It has been proven, once again, how the system is manipulated by fraudsters to loot public money for years with impunity. The Srijan scam also shows the failure of successive governments.

One hopes that the Central Bureau of Investigation, which has taken up this case, will find out the real culprits. It must not shy away from punishing politicians, no matter which political party they belong to, if they are the ones to blame.

Yours faithfully,

Nand Kumar,

Darbhanga

Unclean habits

• Sir - The Patna High Court has taken the state government to task for neglecting public toilets, leaving them unhygienic and unfit for use. The court must be lauded for asking the government to take steps to clean public toilets. But it also needs to be remembered that it is the people using these toilets who make them dirty. It is not possible for the government to keep civic amenities clean and in proper shape if the public misuses them. Therefore, action must also be taken against people responsible for leaving the toilets dirty. The same thing applies to keeping India swachh. If citizens are conscious about keeping their surroundings clean, the country will automatically be clean.

Yours faithfully,

S.A.K. Sinha, Gaya

Deceptive practices

• Sir - The exposure of Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh should be an eye-opener for all those who repose faith in the so-called godmen. Singh not only took his followers for a ride but also exploited his female devotees sexually. He deserves the punishment that has been handed out to him. He is not the first spiritual leader in India who has been convicted of such wrong-doings. Many godmen have been sent to jail for various crimes while some still await judgment. Unfortunately, there are many impostors who are just roaming free. It is the responsibility of civil society to ensure that they are brought to justice.

India has a rich spiritual tradition and has received the wisdom of saints like Sri Ramakrishna. Frauds like Singh are a disgrace to this heritage.

Yours faithfully,

Rajkumar Mohanty,

Bhubaneswar

• Sir - The special Central Bureau of Investigation court that convicted Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh should be lauded. Exemplary action should be taken against other godmen who play with the religious sentiments of people. But it must be conceded that it is the blind faith of people that allows such frauds to exploit them. These self-proclaimed godmen deceive people with a sleight of hand. Citizens should be more careful instead of believing in the miracles these men claim to work.

Yours faithfully,

Panchanan Das, Kendrapara

• Sir - The conviction of Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh brings to mind the arrest of two self-styled godmen in Odisha in the recent past. Surendra Mishra alias Sura Baba and Santosh Raul alias Sarathi Baba were both accused of sexually exploiting their devotees. Another thing that is common to all three of them is the political clout that they wielded. This is alarming. These fake spiritual leaders dupe gullible people to amass huge fortunes. But political patronage, too, can make these godmen seem authentic to common people. As such, politicians are equally to blame for the deception that these spiritual leaders engage in.

Yours faithfully,

Jyoti Prakash Sahu, Jajpur

• Sir - It is a shame that people continue to be deceived by godmen even in the 21st century. The violence that followed the conviction of Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh is evidence of the superstition that prevails in India. It is time people woke up to the reality of these godmen and shunned them.

Yours faithfully,

Sriram Mishra, Sambalpur

• Sir - Indians seem to be especially vulnerable to phoney godmen. Many such godmen have been caught for cheating people in Odisha. They should be punished for toying with people's religious beliefs.

Yours faithfully,

Girija Rath, Cuttack