LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
02/08/2019
A wake-up call?
The death of billionaire entrepreneur and the founder of Café Coffee Day, V.G. Siddhartha, is extremely saddening. The market capitalisation of the company has taken a nosedive in the last few days, which would force the creditors to take a serious haircut. Had he been part of the U.S. system, there is a very high chance that he would have found a way to deal with the creditors and, most importantly, he would have been alive. His death just shows how nascent the corporate debt markets are in India, and how private equity firms operate in the country. Access to capital markets is key for entrepreneurship and for businesses to thrive and grow. Hence, this should be a wake-up call for the government to see that capital is made available to the firms with good growth prospects, if it is serious about making India’s GDP reach $5 trillion and beyond ( Front page, “Siddhartha cremated in family estate,” August 1).
Varad Seshadri,
Sunnyvale, California, U.S.
Criminalising talaq
Marriage is a civil contract and criminalising what is obviously a civil issue is a step in the wrong direction. The Centre’s logic that the Triple Talaq Bill will act as deterrent to the abhorrent practice of instant talaq is hard to digest. However, the fact that Muslims take recourse to this detested form of divorce, even after the 2017 Supreme Court verdict, is a worrying development and one cannot but share the government’s concerns over this. Religion should not be a factor when it comes to the irresponsible desertion of spouses and children. Herein lies the need for a common divorce law, which the Bill fails to address (Editorial, “Beyond talaq,” August 1).
Abdul Assis P.A.,
Thrissur, Kerala
Rather than addressing a social issue, the passage of the Triple Talaq Bill through both the Houses of Parliament gives rise to questions. The government’s reasoning that it was giving effect to the Supreme Court verdict declaring it unconstitutional is absurd, considering that the Bharatiya Janata Party was opposed to the same court’s verdict when it came to allowing entry to women in the Sabarimala shrine. The Centre’s claim that it is a step towards gender justice also sounds false. The Act may not be of much benefit as it expects the victim or someone from her family, in most cases women who come from the poorest sections of the society, to take up the issue against her husband with the concerned authority.
A.G. Rajmohan,
Anantapur
Unnao case
The Unnao case appears to be a tragedy from the medieval ages — a poor girl is raped by the local strongman, the state machinery doesn’t help and even the judiciary fails to protect her family. (Front page, “SC takes note of complaint by rape survivor’s family,” August 1). Instead, her alleged tormentors keep openly threatening her and get her family members and witnesses in the case eliminated. This is a fit occasion for the Supreme Court to step in. A thorough inquiry must be held under its aegis, all culprits arrested immediately and the trial conducted on a day-to-day basis. The victim and her family must be provided strong security. Let people like her tormentors know that rule of law does prevail. In this regard, the fact that the CBI has taken over investigation in the case surely comes as a welcome development.
Harjas Bains,
Bassi Pathana, Punjab
02/08/2019
A wake-up call?
The death of billionaire entrepreneur and the founder of Café Coffee Day, V.G. Siddhartha, is extremely saddening. The market capitalisation of the company has taken a nosedive in the last few days, which would force the creditors to take a serious haircut. Had he been part of the U.S. system, there is a very high chance that he would have found a way to deal with the creditors and, most importantly, he would have been alive. His death just shows how nascent the corporate debt markets are in India, and how private equity firms operate in the country. Access to capital markets is key for entrepreneurship and for businesses to thrive and grow. Hence, this should be a wake-up call for the government to see that capital is made available to the firms with good growth prospects, if it is serious about making India’s GDP reach $5 trillion and beyond ( Front page, “Siddhartha cremated in family estate,” August 1).
Varad Seshadri,
Sunnyvale, California, U.S.
Criminalising talaq
Marriage is a civil contract and criminalising what is obviously a civil issue is a step in the wrong direction. The Centre’s logic that the Triple Talaq Bill will act as deterrent to the abhorrent practice of instant talaq is hard to digest. However, the fact that Muslims take recourse to this detested form of divorce, even after the 2017 Supreme Court verdict, is a worrying development and one cannot but share the government’s concerns over this. Religion should not be a factor when it comes to the irresponsible desertion of spouses and children. Herein lies the need for a common divorce law, which the Bill fails to address (Editorial, “Beyond talaq,” August 1).
Abdul Assis P.A.,
Thrissur, Kerala
Rather than addressing a social issue, the passage of the Triple Talaq Bill through both the Houses of Parliament gives rise to questions. The government’s reasoning that it was giving effect to the Supreme Court verdict declaring it unconstitutional is absurd, considering that the Bharatiya Janata Party was opposed to the same court’s verdict when it came to allowing entry to women in the Sabarimala shrine. The Centre’s claim that it is a step towards gender justice also sounds false. The Act may not be of much benefit as it expects the victim or someone from her family, in most cases women who come from the poorest sections of the society, to take up the issue against her husband with the concerned authority.
A.G. Rajmohan,
Anantapur
Unnao case
The Unnao case appears to be a tragedy from the medieval ages — a poor girl is raped by the local strongman, the state machinery doesn’t help and even the judiciary fails to protect her family. (Front page, “SC takes note of complaint by rape survivor’s family,” August 1). Instead, her alleged tormentors keep openly threatening her and get her family members and witnesses in the case eliminated. This is a fit occasion for the Supreme Court to step in. A thorough inquiry must be held under its aegis, all culprits arrested immediately and the trial conducted on a day-to-day basis. The victim and her family must be provided strong security. Let people like her tormentors know that rule of law does prevail. In this regard, the fact that the CBI has taken over investigation in the case surely comes as a welcome development.
Harjas Bains,
Bassi Pathana, Punjab
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