Sugar coated

This refers to Madhav Khosla’s article ‘Bitter PIL’.

• This refers to Madhav Khosla’s article ‘Bitter PIL’. Before delving into the pros and cons of public interest litigation, we should first realise that the idea of PILs in India was borrowed from Australia in the eighties and that it was not an established convention of legal jurisprudence but sheer judicial innovation. By enabling a mere postcard as writ petition it has greatly empowered the common masses living in India’s hinterland to access and exercise their fundamental right to constitutional remedies. These are people who could otherwise be afraid of approaching the legal system, complex and intimidating as it can be.

Concerns like balancing between “frivolous petition” and “appropriate representation” are bound to occur. But the PIL system cannot be dismissed just because of this, especially since it, as the the writer rightly says, helps in delivering fruits of good governance, as both the executive and legislative wings can be horribly dishonest in their duties.

The judiciary itself is aware of this. Like any human beings judges can also falter in recognising the genuineness of PILs, but their introspection in rectifying the same is heartening.

— Sourabh Jyoti Sharma

New Delhi

Pay teachers

• The revised pay package for PSU staff is welcome. But it will be relevant to note that revised pay scales for university and college teachers are still hanging fire. Curiously, no other section of employees has to take to the streets and shout slogans to move the wheels of bureaucracy. It is hoped the government shows the same alacrity in providing relief to other sections of employees.

— J.M. Manchanda

New Delhi

Never guilty

• The BJP and the Sangh Parivar seem bent upon generating a major political storm of protest over the arrest of a few “Hindu” terror suspects by the Maharashtra ATS. They are mindlessly and shortsightedly “sowing the wind” with seeds of disbelief and doubts in the very functioning of our security agencies; it is the nation as a whole that is likely to “reap the whirlwind” eventually.

— Shahabuddin Nadeem

Bangalore

Beyond candidates

• To judge Indo-US relations by individuals would not be correct analysis. If we notice an intimacy and an encouraging improvement in Indo-US relations this is because of strategic and economic reasons. To comment as to whether Barack Hussein Obama would be better for India as compared to George W. Bush or for that matter John McCain, would be premature.

— Manoj Joshi

New Delhi

Prices or taxes?

• Finance Minister P. Chidambaram has called upon industry to reduce prices, but is this the correct solution? What is needed is that the tax structure be thoroughly revamped. To boost industry, taxes should be reduced and other concessions increased.

— Mohd Mubarak

Ranchi