Letters to The EDITOR: New-look Lady Justice

New-look Lady Justice

In a symbolic shift, a new statue of Nyay ki Devi (Lady of Justice) at the Supreme Court (SC) has several changes, replacing the traditional blindfold (which serves as a reminder of the ideals of fairness and justice that legal systems aspire to uphold) and sword in hand with open eyes and the Indian Constitution, signifying an evolving justice system in India. Chief Justice of India (CJI) DY Chandrachud aims to reflect impartial justice and modernize the judiciary, moving away from colonial legacies towards constitutional values. The note-worthy element of this design is the replacement of the sword with a copy of the Indian Constitution. Generally, the sword has been associated with violence and disciplinary action, whereas the Constitution is a symbol of rights, equality, and fairness. This change represents the shift towards more emphasis on core values in justice and highlights how a judiciary must act as a protector of constitutional rights rather than functioning as a law enforcer. From now onwards, justice will be served to the ‘right’ persons. No longer will it be impartial, nor will punishments be meted out. Yes, changing the attire to a sari is a welcome step. As time progresses, the positive effects of this change will become more evident. As a law-abiding citizen, I strongly believe that every CJI has to leave a legacy before remitting office (like former CJI Ranjan Gogoi’s Ram Mandir judgement). Removing the sword and replacing it with a constitution book in one hand is a right decision. I hope it is the Indian Constitution’s latest version. However, the blindfolded justice lady has historical global significance. The blindfolded Lady Justice is a powerful symbol in legal systems around the world, representing several key principles.

Bidyut Kumar Chatterjee

(bkchatterjee9@gmail.com)

Plight of Indian Tennis

From the 1960s to the late 1990s, India was a powerhouse in world tennis. India was blessed with the likes of the father-son duo of the Krishnans, the Amritraj brothers, Jaideep Mukharjee, Premjit Lal, Leander Paes, etc., to name a few. Ramanathan Krishnan twice reached the semi-final at Wimbledon, losing to ‘Rocket’ Rod Laver, who won the coveted title. His son Ramesh too created a major upset in the Australian Open by beating a top-ranked player, Mats Wilander, the Swede who became a guitarist after losing to Ramesh. In doubles, we had the formidable combination of Leander and Bhupati, who dominated the world doubles spot in many top-ranked tennis events, bringing laurels to India. In the Davis Cup too, India reached the final after beating Brazil in a thrilling encounter at the South Club of Calcutta, where Krishnan snatched victory from the jaws of defeat by beating Thomas Koch after trailing 2 sets to love down. Because of the apartheid policy of South Africa. India forfeited the final. Sania Mirza created a niche for herself in the WTA tour by winning the ladies and mixed doubles trophies in grand slams.

Where is India in world tennis now? China is the reigning world badminton and table tennis powerhouse. China players started playing tennis hardly a decade ago and have started producing world-class tennis players both in the men’s and women’s categories. They recently held an ATP 1000-level championship in Shanghai, where all the leading stars of today’s tennis took part, and local players gave a sizzling performance. Holding this level of tournament in India seems like a distant dream for the AITA (All India Tennis Association), even though we have the financial resources required.

It is evident that tennis in India has been confined to only recreational level.

Dr Ashim Chowdhury,

Guwahati

Hiked prices of tomatoes, onions

I am deeply concerned about the soaring prices of tomatoes and onions in the country, which have risen to over Rs. 100 per kilo, surpassing the price of petrol. 

Tomatoes are an important dietary source of lycopene, a powerful antioxidant that is linked to several health benefits, such as reduced risk of heart disease and cancer. Moreover, they are rich in vitamin C, potassium, folate, and vitamin K.

On the other hand, the steep price rise of onions is bringing tears to our eyes and making us cry bitterly. Potatoes, tomatoes, and onions are vital ingredients in Indian cooking, and any significant price increase in these items can disrupt the monthly budget of households.

Onions are needed by us daily not only for cooking but also for making salads, poha, bhajiyas, and egg burji. It is also needed for garnishing raita.
This inflation has made the life of the common man very difficult. The worst hit are the fixed income groups like the salaried people, the labour class, and the pensioners. For them, even the commodities of basic necessities like rice, wheat, sugar, pulses, and vegetables are getting out of reach. Every increase in price disturbs their budget.

The government must control inflation and must do something to bring down the price of tomatoes, onions, and other household ingredients to provide relief to the common man. 

Jubel D’Cruz,

(jubeldcruz@yahoo.com)

SLET portal in NE

 Recently, UGC launched the ‘CU-Chayan’ portal for the NET-qualified aspirants. ‘CU-Chayan’ is completely user-friendly and caters to the needs of all the stakeholders in the recruitment process. UGC has developed this portal to create an enabling environment for both universities and the applicants, with universities driving all the stages of the recruitment independently. It is a unified recruitment portal, designed and developed specifically for recruitment of faculties in Central Universities. I humbly request the Higher Education Departments of the North East states to kindly design such a portal for SLET-qualified students. It will help SLET-qualified students get jobs and research work in Assam and Northeast. The portal will provide a common platform for listing vacancies, advertisements, and jobs across all North East universities. The portal, if its launched, will make the recruitment process completely online, starting from application to screening, with alerts issued to all the users of the portal.

Partha Pratim Mazumder,

Nalbari