M A I L B A G

Hasten justice to help litigants

Reference Santokh Singh Sahi’s article “Towards speedy justice” (Perspective, May 1).

There is an immense need for delivering speedy justice today. At present, there are 10.5 judges per million population and over two crore cases are pending in the subordinate courts. About two-thirds of them are criminal cases involving the rights of the undertrials.

Wherever there is delay in the delivery of justice, the effect of law is eroded. Consequently, the rate of conviction in India has come down from 65 per cent in 1970 to 40 per cent in 2000.

Certain measures are imperative to make the justice delivery system more effective. The fast track courts and Lok Adalats are steps in the right direction. The Union Cabinet has recently approved the continuation of the fast track courts for a further period of five years. This would help speed up the disposal of a large number of cases.

AARUSHI JAIN, Research Fellow (Public Admn), HP University, Shimla

II

The writer has offered important suggestions. There are many reasons for slow justice — the absence of witnesses and advocates, repeated adjournments on one pretext or the other and so on. These can be plugged, if the suggestions are followed. If justice is expedited, the lawlessness will also be reduced.

Lok Adalats are doing a good job. People want speedy justice which can be ensured with sufficient manpower.

UJAGAR SINGH, Chandigarh

III

We live in a country where even functionaries like the Prime Minister and the Chief Justice of India talk in terms of ‘should’, as if someone from abroad will come and implement the holy resolve! Will the competent authority issue direction that all the cases pending in courts for the last seven years as also the cases in which senior citizens are involved, will be decided within one year from the issue of the direction and that those failing to achieve the target shall be sacked from service?

The lawyers involved in such cases should be debarred from practice for some time. Considerable number of cases are pending in various courts because of lethargy and lawyer-to-lawyer nexus. A delayed decision punishes both the parties and thus defeats the very purpose of the courts.

Dr L.R. SHARMA, Solan

IV

Some sort of screening right at the preliminary stage be introduced to discourage frivolous litigation. Unless the inflow is arrested, we may never succeed in clearing the huge backlog of cases in the courts.

Wg-Cdr C.L. SEHGAL (retd), Jalandhar

The model Nikahnama Reference Prof Virendra Kumar’s article “The model Nikahnama: Beginning of reforms” (Perspective, May 15). In Islam, Talaq has been allowed in extreme circumstances where the husband and wife cannot live together by any means. Nikah is a pious relation created under the various provisions of Quran, Hadith and Sunnah. It cannot be broken by simple, casual pronouncements of triple Talaq. Islam gives rights to women also and they too can seek divorce in certain circumstances. In Islam, the marriage is a contract between two equal partners and both are equally responsible for carrying on the marital relationship. Pronouncing Talaq thrice at one go is one Talaq which is revocable. In fact, it is lack of understanding of the true spirit of Nikah and Talaq among the Muslim masses which has messed up the entire Quranic spirit. Also, Islam stands for Ijtihad and reforms and there is ample space within the Shariat framework to put the Nikah and Talaq in proper perspective. The model Nikahnama is a right step towards the well-needed reforms and, if made mandatory from all shades and hues of Muslim Ummah in India, it can prove to be a pragmatic step. The article depicts deep understanding of the author about the Muslim Personal Law. Dr REHANA PARVEEN, Sr. Lecturer in Urdu, Panjab University, Chandigarh

People’s leader

Apropos of “A people’s leader” (Saturday Extra, May 7) by Reeta Sharma, the headline is laudatory and quite apt. The write-up stated that Partap Singh Kairon established Punjab Agriculture University at Ludhiana, whereas the Himachal Government named a university at Nauni, near Solan, after the late Chief Minister, Dr Y.S. Parmar. The full name of the university is Dr Y.S. Parmar University of Horticulture and Forestry.

The Punjab Government has failed to name Punjab Agriculture University, Ludhiana, after Partap Singh Kairon. I have made several petitions to this effect to the Punjab Chief Minister and Governor. There are so many universities in our country that have been named after chief ministers. Punjab should name Punjab Agriculture University, Ludhiana, after Kairon, who was an able administrator, a great visionary responsible for setting up the university.

NARINDER SINGH, Chandigarh

Heroic heroines

This refers to “Heroic heroines” (Spectrum, May 8) by M.L. Dhawan. Despite the fact that Hindi films have always been dominated by heroes like Dilip Kumar, Ashok Kumar, Dev Anand and Amitabh Bachchan, certain film-makers like V. Shantaram, B.R. Chopra, Mehboob Khan and Bimal Roy have reflected the sordid aspects of a woman’s life in their films.

Particularly, the films made by Gulzar have explored the inscrutable innerscapes of their female protagonists and revealed their tribulations. They have succeeded in building public opinion against the oppression and exploitation of women by their family and society. Film-makers who depicted heroines as iconoclasts stood against the established mores.

In Sujata, Bandini, Sahib Bibi Aur Ghulam, Astitva, Mother India, Godmother etc, the female protagonists outshone the heroes. In the process of chiselling celluloid success stories, heroines have been as significant as our heroes.n

K.L. ARORA, Panchkula