Letters to the Editor — November 26, 2020

The sanctioning of contempt against stand-up comedian Kunal Kamra by the Attorney General has a far-reaching effect on the Bar, of which he is a leader, and also the people. To sanction contempt readily will only embolden an already strong executive. It is true the AG is appointed by the President of India on the advice of the Council of Ministers but it should not be forgotten that he is a constitutional appointee. He should be a constitutional umpire. The demands on the AG are far more than on a leading lawyer and include statesmanship and acknowledging the effect of free thought in a changing society governed by the rule of law. That apart, what Mr. Kamra said needs to be examined. He said, “... allot my time to some other litigant who wants his case to be heard”. There cannot be a more poignant statement than this when courts are starved of time and litigants are waiting for their cases to be heard. And second, he has said that Mahatma Gandhi’s portrait should be replaced with Harish Salve’s. Any person who has frequented the Supreme Court would not have missed Mr. Salve walking like a Roman emperor. Such humour is rare. Third, on the flag issue, he was only wanting to convey his feelings on the question of the independence of the judiciary. Satire/cartoons should be dispassionately examined. The sanctioning of the contempt by the AG has taken away the sense of humour.

Chennai

In Tamil Nadu/Chennai, heavy rains are always expected in the month of November extending till December. And water-logged roads and drivers struggling through water are a common sight. . Asking people to stay indoors, declaring holidays and so on are no doubt good precautionary steps but the bigger responsibility of the government lies in maintaining good roads. Had every MLA in the city taken care of their constituencies on all parameters of growth, infrastructural bottlenecks would have never existed.

Chennai