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Road to success
The Supreme Court has rightly expressed concern about the kith and kin of some Allahabad High Court judges practising in the same court. There are fundamental professional ethics that need to be upheld across the entire spectrum of the judiciary. In fact, it would be appropriate for lawyers not to even appear before judges with whom they have been having a close relationship or have worked as colleagues or juniors. It is a very uncomfortable and undesirable situation. We have heard of judges recusing themselves from matters. Nothing should stop advocates from saying, “Not before me”. Aires
Rodrigues, Goa
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Command Hospital
From media reports it is seen that a mountain has been made out of a molehill when a complaint has been lodged by a blacklisted medicine vendor probably for the sake of sensationalism and also to involve the Indian Army in the so-called corruption case. From the sequence of events and corroborated facts, it appears that this medicine supplier is disgruntled with the authorities of Command Hospital, Pune. If the black-listed vendor was adversely or unjustly affected by any action of the hospital authority, in all earnestness and while honouring the sentiments of our Army, he should have approached the higher military authorities, including the ‘Major-General, Medicals’ at Southern Command headquarters. The fact that he has decided to malign the Command Hospital authorities through the CBI merely shows that he has sidelined the system of internal checks and balances available to him in the normal course. Further, the charitable supply of a ‘window-type airconditioner’ to provide comfort to his fellow vendors at a government building and later on interpreting it as an act of corruption simply shows that his hands are not clean. The motive for making such a complaint with the CBI may be to settle scores with the hospital administration for blacklisting his firm for its unfair trade practices. If the CBI is keen to define the installation of this airconditioner in a government building as an act of corruption, it should have first proceeded against bribe-giver, who is an accomplice. Instead, the investigating agency opted for sensationalism and maligning an organisation like the Army which has greater ramifications affecting its work culture. Unfortunately, the Sub-Area Commander, who addressed the media, could not logically present a credible explanation in this case. Major Mathew Oommen
(retd), via email
Digvijay’s remark
The reported revelation of Congress General Secretary Digvijay Singh about Hemant Karkare, the police officer killed in the 26/11 terrorist attack, is not only uncalled for but also damaging for national security. The Congress under the garb of secularism has been making such statements in the hope of getting Muslim votes. If such tactics are not changed, the country is bound to suffer. Dr Jai Prakash Gupta. Ambala Cantt.
Restore sanctity
You are dot on spot to point out that the Indian Army should be above reproach for the alarming spread of corruption in the higher ranks of the combat arms also
(Editorial, December 10). It is all right for the Army to admit that the cases of corruption are “voluminous” and equally courageous for the Chief of Army Staff to admit the presence of the rot in the ranks of Brigadiers and above. However, this leads to the serious question that how these officers attained the present higher ranks by managing to come up?The officers involved in preparing the annual confidential report obviously did not perform their duty honestly. The repercussions of corruption prevailing at the higher levels of the Army are even more serious. The whole burden of shame lands on the broad base comprising Other Ranks with devastating effects. My appeal to the veterans is to remove the proud display of “Army” on their four-wheelers till the sanctity is restored. Col K D Pathak
(retd), via email
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