Showing posts with label Supreme Court. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Supreme Court. Show all posts

Thursday, March 7, 2013

Festival of Noise?

When Several AK-47 and Vulcanos Erupt at 145 Decibel...

Often labelled as the most ‘important’ festival in the Hindu calendar, Diwali (contracted from Deepavali) is celebrated with unparalleled vigour, not just in India but other neighbouring and not-so neighbouring countries too. Trinidad & Tobago, for instance, observes an official holiday on the day of Diwali. The literal translation of ‘Deepavali’ is ‘lighting the row of lamps’, but steadily through the years, the festival has also earned a reputation of being synonymous to noise and air pollution.

The Supreme Court had stipulated a noise cap of 125 decibel (dB), which the firecracker manufacturers have to comply with. However, Awaaz Foundation recently reported that up to 10 commonly available brands failed to adhere to the noise limit. Notorious sounding brands like AK-47 and Vulcano even touched 145 dB, the equivalent of sound produced by an average shot-gun blast. Worse, all ‘serial’ and ‘rassi’ bombs, when randomly tested, were found to be exceeding permissible noise standards. There doesn’t seem to be any improvement from 2003, when various bombs earned a dubious reputation for disregarding the noise limit.

“Though I do it for money, I’m concerned for the small boys who buy big bombs,” laments Tushaar Kumar, a seasonal firecracker vendor stationed in Malviya Nagar, South Delhi. Shrugging the momentary surge of moral dilemma, he adds with a smile, “This year, the customers are favouring rockets and anars”.

While the usual suspects and celebrities like Sachin Tendulkar and Nana Patekar continued to persuade schoolchildren to enjoy a quiet Diwali, many district administrations proclaimed the respective Municipalities don’t have the necessary equipment needed to measure noise emissions. The Supreme Court had also drawn a Lakshman Rekha for burning of firecrackers, but the enforcement of such a deadline remained hypothetical. Over the past few years, the highest noise levels were detected close to the 11th hour mark, which is one full hour overtime.


Source : IIPM Editorial, 2012.
An Initiative of IIPM, Malay Chaudhuri
and Arindam Chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist).

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Friday, November 23, 2012

Why religion will always be trafficked religiously!

The nature of the beast is clearly hypocritical, given the way the State ‘deals’ with ‘secularism’

A casual walk near my house in Delhi the other day triggered memories of a dilemma I had faced as a youngster long ago in 1986. I saw a bunch of people sticking posters on walls. Curious, I went up to read the words and was shocked into nostalgia. The posters talked about the Amarnath Yatra and how Hindus were being denied the right to worship in their own homeland. The posters exhorted Hindus to rise to save their religion. More shocking, I actually saw fellow citizens read the posters and nod in tacit agreement. Way back in 1986, I would frequently encounter fiery young people who were out to save Hinduism. In those days, it was the great ‘Shah Bano’ betrayal that prompted the self appointed guardians of Hinduism to proclaim that Hindus had become second class citizens in their own country.

Both then, and now, angry ‘Hindu’ activists are accusing the State of adopting a policy regime that is partial towards one religion and discriminates against the other. In 1986, the Indian Parliament passed a Bill that basically overturned a Supreme Court verdict that granted alimony to Muslim women. Most sober analysts trace the rise of the BJP and that even of the extremist fringe outfits like VHP and Bajrang Dal to that one day of infamy in Parliament. In 2008, the Jammu & Kashmir government initially allotted forest land for the construction of temporary shelters for Amarnath pilgrims. In the face of massive protests in the Valley, the allotment has been withdrawn. And now, VHP activists are claiming that once again, Hindu rights are being trampled upon.

Any Indian with common sense would know that the charge hurled by VHP activists – of pampering Muslims at the cost of Hindus – is utter hogwash. Be it government jobs, access to health and education, employment opportunities and what not, Muslims have a lot to be angry with policy makers in the country.


Source : IIPM Editorial, 2012.

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Tuesday, October 9, 2012

Are judges above the law?

 It would have been quite humorous, were it not so pernicious and dangerous. The latest fracas between the Right to Information Commissioner and the Supreme Court is a classic example of how desperately the judicial system in India needs a complete revamp and overhaul. This is what famous lawyer and constitutional expert Fali Nariman has to say about the unwillingness of Supreme Court judges to reveal their assets under the RTI Act: “For judges of the highest court to litigate as to whether or not they should disclose their assets is as bad as judges going to the court on whether it was lawful for income tax to be deducted from the salaries they get! We have good judges, but we need more judicial wisdom." And look at the ‘Supreme’ irony of the whole matter.

Recently, the Central Information Commission passed an order that required judges of the Supreme Court to declare their assets. Rather than gladly agreeing to set an example for everyone else in India, the Supreme Court appealed to a High Court against the order. In other words, it is akin to the Managing Director of a company appealing to a General Manager of his own company against an order passed by an independent board of the company! The High Court promptly stays the Information Commission order and asks Fali Nariman to appear as a ‘friend of the court’ in the case. To his credit, Nariman has politely declined. And urged the judges to lead by example.

Here is another tale from Indian judiciary that is hilarious. The Central Bureau of Investigation is pursuing the notorious Sister Abhaya murder case in Kerala. A High Court judge, Justice K. Hema effectively stays the CBI investigations. A few days later, a fellow judge of the same High Court, Justice R. Basant, asks CBI to continue investigations and says he will personally monitor the case. Then, a furious Justice Hema passes another order a few days later stating that no other judge of Kerala High Court can ‘clarify’ her order and only the Supreme Court can do so!

Then again, honourable judges of the Punjab & Haryana High Court are at each other’s throats over the Rs.15 lakh cash scam. The Chief Justice of the Supreme Court says it is better that Justice Nirmal Yadav is transferred as there are allegations that Rs.15 lakh in cash meant for her were by mistake delivered to the residence of fellow judge Justice Nirmaljit Kaur. Justice Yadav formally complains to the Chief Justice that actually there was a Supreme Court judge behind all this and he was present in the residence of Justice Kaur when the cash was delivered.


Source : IIPM Editorial, 2012.

For More IIPM Info, Visit below mentioned IIPM articles.
 
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