Heavy-Handed Approach
THE judiciary seems to be in the eye of the storm over the suo moto contempt proceedings against civil rights lawyer Prashant Bhushan for his tweets. Such frivolous off-the-cuff allegations need to be brushed under the carpet as they are not intended to harm the sacrosanct image of the Supreme Court. Contemplating conviction and sentencing of the noted lawyer has not gone down well with the legal luminary as well as with the public at large given that of late most judgements are politically motivated. The same yardstick should have been applied years ago when five sitting judges of the apex court held a press conference against the CJI over the roster system as that would have set a precedent for conviction. Let not the credibility of the judiciary be whittled down by biased punishment. The former Attorney General of India and eminent jurist Soli Sorabjee has come in defence of the lawyer-activist stating that the court has overreacted. Good reason seems to have prevailed over the SC overtures as the lawyer activist has been given time to file his submissions and it is hoped that in all probability the case will be dropped in all fairness. Another feature which needs mentioning is that in all sections of public life a sense of rigidity seems to be pervading the landscape of the country where intolerance is the mantra and hate and prejudice rules the day.
EVERETTE TELLES, MARGAO
Walk The Talk On Drug Trade
THE recent statement by the Chief Minister Sawant that he will give full support to police in fighting drug trade comes as no shock or surprise in terms of his seriousness in fighting the malaise. He is not the first Chief Minister to give such statements nor will be the last. He knows how the drug trade works and in which ruling party MLAs’ backyards it is flourishing. Does he pretend not knowing that the trade cannot blossom without the patronage of politicians and police support? If the police at all try to bring the culprits to book, will he take action against the same? If he is serious about ending the drug trade let him start by acting on the politicians-police nexus report submitted to the then office of the CM by the committee of some MLAs few years back.
VALENT MASCARENHAS, CALANGUTE
Beef Up Anti-Drug Laws
RAVE parties and drugs are not new to Goa. We have been reading about such incidents since the days of the hippies in the early ‘60s where the drug culture took roots in Goa in a big way. Goa has since become a popular tourist destination and the hub of such activities due to the ease of availability of drugs at these parties and EDMs where several tourists succumb due to over consumption of drugs. The recent rave parties at Arpora and Vagator and the seizure of Rs 9 lakh worth of drugs and the arrest of 23 persons, including a few foreigners, is therefore nothing new. Doing away with this menace seems almost impossible, going by our dismal record and involvement of responsible persons over the years. What we need is a drastic revision of our laws to make possession and consumption of drugs more stringent like those in countries like Indonesia, Singapore, Malaysia and Gulf countries, where mere possession of drugs invites punishment of life imprisonment or death sentence. Otherwise, nothing is going to change.
A F Nazareth, Alto Porvorim