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Adjusting judges' kin as law officers
The news report 'No specific guidelines for appointment of law officers' (July 13) was an eye-opener. There is a saying that Caesar's wife should be above suspicion and the same rule applies to our judiciary. Truly speaking, it is for the judges to make sure that there is no blemish on their robe of honour. The offices of the Advocate Generals of Punjab and Haryana have virtually become safe havens for the academically poor lawyers. There are a few instances where some judges of the Punjab and Haryana High Court have themselves made a requisition for their transfer from out of the state at the time when their wards joined the legal profession. Punjab is reeling under a severe financial crunch and the clamour for austerity is growing day by day and the office of the Advocate General is proving to be a while elephant for the government. It has also come to notice that most of the posts are occupied by wards of judges. That "the family of a judge is having three relatives in the AG office and getting about Rs 2 lakh plus every month" as mentioned in the news item, is really sad. R K ANGI, Fazilka
Cleansing politics
The editorial 'Cleaning up politics' (July 12) rightly says that the apex court ruling will go a long way in rescuing politics from the clutches of criminals. The Supreme Court judgment will necessitate immediate disqualification of all tainted MPs and MLAs from the membership of Parliament and the state legislatures if they are convicted in criminal cases. This verdict will also appeal to the voters who are fed up with deep-rooted corruption in our system and want to rid politics of criminals who, because of a combination of muscle and money power, have forced their way into the hallowed portals of our legislatures. The government must now take steps to put criminal trials involving elected representatives on fast track. HARPREET SANDHU, Ludhiana
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Tainted lawmakers The SC order to put a stop on the entry of tainted lawmakers into Parliament and state assemblies is a step in the right direction and towards good governance. The decision, no doubt, will force all political parties to discard criminals. However, the order should have been applied retrospectively to highlight the cases of some black sheep in the system who have misused their chair for their own benefits without caring for the electorate and the poor. A recent order of the CVC to bring all political parties within the ambit of the RTI Act is also a good step to bring out black money as well as ensure transparency in governance. Such steps were long overdue to curb corruption in and the criminalisation of politics. HARBHAJAN SINGH SARWARA, Rajpura Landmark decisions The judiciary's initiative of cleaning up politics by thwarting politicians' dubious moves to destroy the basic structure of the Constitution is a laudable move. It needs to be patted for some recent landmark decisions (the editorial 'Cleaning up politics', July 12). The Supreme Court's decision to ban the convicted politicians from contesting elections is appreciable. It has expressed the feelings of millions of countrymen. Under the present system, tainted politicians are being elected and becoming rulers due to their money and muscle power. Shamefully, the biggest democracy of the world currently has 162 hard core criminals in Parliament and more than 1,450 MLAs in the state Assemblies. The second step to clean politics is the landmark decision of the Chief Information Commissioner to bring political parties under the ambit of the RTI Act. Authority and accountability go hand in hand and the elected representatives who assume power after getting elected, can't absolve themselves of their responsibility to answer searching question by the electorate. Their picking up quarrel with the CIC's move points to the fact that they have something to hide. The third landmark step is that the Allahabad High Court's daring order to bar caste-based rallies in UP. Most politicians tend to divide the country in the name of caste, creed and religion. We should, therefore, ban these unwarranted caste-based rallies to ensure the country's unity and integrity. It is high time we weeded out criminals from politics through hard decisions to save the country from disintegration. R M RAMAUL, Paonta Sahib Regulating acid sale A very serious issue has been raised in the editorial 'Regulating acid sale: A wake-up call for Centre, states' (July 1). The survivors of an acid attack not only have to live a painful life, the entire family also has to undergo immense financial and emotional sufferings. The healing process, being costly and long, is unaffordable for the parents of most victims. So, the government should bear the entire cost of the treatment. If possible, the victim should be given a government job to enable her earn her livelihood and not remain a burden on her family. Moreover, it is imperative that steps must be taken to regulate the retail sale of such fatal liquids and a record of buyers must be kept. The perpetrators must be severely punished and awarded life imprisonment. That will act as a deterrent. SHARDA BHARGAV, Jalandhar
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