Sting operations are okay so long as the story is about corruption by public figures like politicians, bureaucrats and police officers (The 9 o’clock Juice, Feb 6). But I now believe there is one more category that can be added to the list: journalists. Don’t mediapersons too booze, womanise, and hold shady financial links? By no means should they be poking their noses into the private lives of adults.
Shiv Kumar, Mumbai
Surely, it’s not the common man but the media that has fallen to the peeping Tom sickness. What began as a decent and fruitful effort by Tehelka has been reduced to mere sensationalism and trivia with spycams fixed in all possible places. This voyeurism is bound to have a negative effect on journalism. Some self-restraint has to be maintained lest the quality of the media further deteriorates.
Col R.D. Singh, Jammu Cantt
You can’t call the media a peeping Tom when it only breaks news of unethical and painful realities. Are scribes supposed to keep issues in the dark? Exposing stories of sleaze and corruption do good to society. Any day, they’re more beneficial than page-three journalism.
Soumya Nair, Bangalore
What’s forgotten in the heat of this debate about morality in sting journalism is its tepid effect, especially on the life of the villains of the piece. More often than not, the filmed perpetrators walk scot-free even after inquiry panels set up in the wake of major exposes sleep on job. It’s high time we as a nation pulled up our socks and penalised them befittingly.
Sameer Ahmad Hashmi, Bangalore
Exposing depraved politicians and officials may not always lead to their punishment, but it’s a solace to see that somebody is doing moral policing.
Yugal Joshi, New Delhi
In good old days, they used to be called scoops. These days, they are converted into the saucier category of sting operations—outsourced from various service providers. Cheap attempts to enhance viewership go by the name of public interest. How else can you justify encroaching upon the privacy of two consenting adults in a closed room? They are legally free to conduct experiments in physics, chemistry, biology, whatever.
P.K. Srivastava, on e-mail
Isn’t it ironical that you recently carried smutty clippings of a senior rss leader and now lament over voyeurism in journalism? In fact, this is the third issue from the Outlook stable with images from his tapes.
Navdeep Hans, New Delhi
Attempting to expose criminals is "violation of personal space"! The work of "paparazzi"! Thank God, no one has argued that the Indian Penal Code violates one’s personal freedom.
K.J. John, Baroda
I completely agree with Khushwant Singh that it’s the job of the media to unmask the real face of those in the public sphere. And sleaze in the name of sting should be deplored.
Ameet Bhuvan, Bhubaneshwar
Who told Khushwant that the media caught the Kanchi seer making passes at women? This is highly irresponsible journalism.
Deepak Ramani, Chennai
Not a soul has benefited from sting operations, they have mainly helped channels improve TRP ratings.
Kaunain Shahidi, Buraydah, Saudi Arabia
Secular social service organisations do the hard work of reforming and improving people’s lives. And religious fundamentalists step in later and claim all the credit. Goddess, Let Them Go (Feb 06) was an inspiring article. Depressing too, when you think that such practices are still incubating in tiny pockets of our country, giving a lie to all the 21st century trappings we boast of. The contrasts cannot be sharper.
Arun Velugu, London
The system of devdasis or joginis is nothing more than a ploy by the powerful to satisfy their lust for free and have religion as the excuse. Why can’t women’s organisations pursue this more actively and outlaw all such social evils which are an incongruity in these ‘modern’ times?
N.D. Hans, New Delhi
The Supreme Court judgement on the dissolution of the Bihar assembly has raised questions on the exercise of discretionary power by the governor (Hammer and Tongs, Feb 6). Looking at the fractured nature of Indian polity, it appears unlikely that we have seen the last of such controversies. The only solution, as I see it, is to amend Article 356 and bring it in line with corresponding provisions of the Constitution of Pakistan. In Pakistan, dissolution of a provincial assembly requires the approval of the Supreme Court. This kind of veto by the apex court could serve as an efficient safeguard here as well.
Mahikshit Desai, Ghaziabad
Buta Singh is nothing but ‘Your most obedient servant’. He has in fact risen to the levels he has courtesy that attitude alone, irrespective of the party in power. One shouldn’t be surprised if he is rehabilitated sooner rather than later by the very political entities who are criticising him right now.
Vidya Sagar, Delhi
‘The verdict is unethical, illegal and unconstitutional’. Very powerful headline. And the substance...well, the headline seems to be all the substance. Shanti Bhushan says that "in this case, Buta Singh acted correctly". Why, he doesn’t say. Just the fact that he is a former law minister should be enough. You can argue all you like, but the fact is that the governor and the Union government committed a patent fraud. Bhushan’s is a pathetic attempt to whitewash that.
Srini Jasti, San Jose, US
In his column Well Played, Buta Singh, Prem Shankar Jha writes: "The Supreme Court’s verdict is the very best argument ...why it is absolutely essential to keep the legislature, the executive and the judiciary as far apart as possible". I am not sure whether that would really help improve the checks and balances between the three. The US model is a good one to adopt. However, in our present level of maturity and development as a democratic nation-state, a more ‘activist’ Supreme Court is the least bad of all the options.
Arun Maheshwari, Bangalore
Our democracy has endured despite the Congress after Nehru, the leftists, bootlicking Congressmen and the English media. In fact, if the last had their way, they’d have decreed that apart from the Congress and the Left, no one else should exist. Have you seen a single documentation or column on the disappearance of 35 per cent Hindus in west Pakistan or the continuous decline of the Hindu population of Bangladesh? Who if not columnists of 40-50 years’ standing are responsible for this deafening silence? It is thanks to institutions like the Supreme Court and the Election Commission that we have the freedom to differ from the likes of Vinod Mehta and Prem Shankar Jha.
A.K. Aggarwal, Ahmedabad
The judgement on Buta Singh seems to have lacked balance. If ljp mlas had moved over to the bjp’s side, it would indeed have been a subversion of the mandate of the people. One would rather have a re-election (despite the cost) than have a government that does not represent the mandate of the people. But if a party campaigns say on an anti-communist promise and after winning helps the communists form government, should that be allowed? The ljp agenda was socialist/secular though anti-Laloo. Having got votes on that agenda, how can the mlas betray the voters? In fact, even Nitish won in the re-election because he was seen as someone who was opposed not to Laloo’s ideology but to his misrule.
Rakesh Kumar, on e-mail
Strange that a government keen on dismissing the state legislature on the mere suspicion of ‘corruption’ and ‘horse-trading’ promptly inducted a known ‘traded horse’ in the cabinet.
Vikas Ranjan, Gurgaon
Maybe Jha wants the Chief Justice of India to take orders from the law minister. If so, why do we need humans to run our courts? We might as well let kangaroos substitute them.
Rajesh S., San Fransisco
Pity Prem Shankar Jha missed this time’s cabinet expansion.
S.M. Verma, Dehradun
If a journalist of 40 years’ standing thinks the way Prem Shankar Jha does, it just shows the depth to which our media has plunged.
Parthasarathy B., Chennai
The one thing that your article Ford vs the Icon (Feb 6) makes clear is the conflict between the culturally rich but economically poor Himalayan villagers and the capitalist czars of the West. Having fdi come in is welcome, so is the development of world-class facilities in our neighbourhood and even the ecological sensitivity with which the project is likely to deal with are convincing. What is being disputed here are the natural resources on which the livelihood of these hill folk depends. Would substituting these with 3,000 jobs be sufficient? Any development has to include, not exclude benefits to the local community. I wish
Mr Ford luck in dealing with the godmen of the valley who have voiced their concern.
Sandeep Singha, Himachal Pradesh
What is scary about the jogini tradition is that it still lingers on from the past and that young girls are being forced into it even today (Goddess, Let Them Go, Feb 6). And why do we have to depend on ngos to do everything for us? This is not a natural calamity but a well-deliberated decision by parents to perpetuate a social evil, under pressure from the ‘guardians’ of society, and fed by religion, superstition and poverty. If there’s anything that can stop this social horror, it is strict laws, vigilant local police, rehabilitation and a strong will among the parents and the girls not to capitulate to this monstrosity.
Dr Sanjay Kapoor, Delhi
What is happening in Sindh is extremely shameful (Sindh’s Stolen Brides, Jan 23). But let us not forget that Pakistan is a feudal society where kidnapping of girls is almost routine and not seen as a big problem. Sometimes the excuse is class, sometimes caste and sometimes ethnicity. In this case, bandits find religion as the best excuse, even though Islam has nothing at all to do with it.
M.G. Khan, London
As part of the Thar Desert Migrants Association, I can tell you for sure that Thar Hindus have been suffering for decades and many of them have migrated to Gujarat and Rajasthan. But here too they face many difficulties—particularly in getting Indian citizenship. Perhaps you could look into this aspect next, having already highlighted the plight of our girls.
Rajesh Maheshwari, Ahmedabad
