India be empathetic to Pakistan’s tragedy; Sharp rise in crime against women in Delhi; Supreme Court to review PMLA changes
Opinion Watch
After days of The Raisina Hills brought focus on India’s aloofness to grave humanitarian tragedy in Pakistan, the mainstream media has taken note of the fact the over 1000 people have died and millions displaced in the ravaging floods caused by climate change in the western neighbor.
The Hindu (TH), The Times of India (ToI) and the Indian Express (IE) have in unison called upon the India government to respond to the tragedy next door and extend support.
TH in its Edit quoted UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres for launching a global appeal for aid to Pakistan, “hit by a monsoon on steroids” in reference to unnatural climate patterns.
The Pakistani officials have said that the country has seen seven-eight spells of Monsoon against the normal three to four, triggering super floods that set in June, affecting Sindh, Balochistan and Gilgit-Baltistan.
“…the leaders must find the time to discuss ways to mitigate the catastrophe at hand,” TH noted in reference to PM Narendra Modi and his Pakistani counterpart Shahbaz Sharif travelling to Uzbekistan this month for SCO Summit.
However, there’s no confirmation yet on Modi going to attend SCO Summit, while there are suggestions that he may attend it in virtual mode.
IE in its Edit has noted that textiles, which constitute 60 per cent of Pakistan’s exports, has been washed away to plunge the country into sever economic crisis.
The daily claims that a genuine help from India will be a strategic move. IE indeed in naïve in making this claim, since circumstantially the history of Pakistan backstabbing India runs against its arguments.
ToI calls for a collective effort to meet the challenges of the climate change on the lines of the Asean countries drafting a State of the Climate Report on the eve of COP-26 last year.
Sharp rise in crime against women in Delhi
Delhi has forgotten Nirbhaya. The people too have taken crime against women as fait accompli. The malady of selective outcry when a heinous crime takes place in South Delhi is the ever festering cancer of the national capital.
The Pioneer in its Edit has taken a grim view of the facts revealed by the national crime research bureau (NCRB) that two girls were raped in Delhi every day in 2021. This has to be horrifying if the skins of people aren’t that thick to feel the horrors.
More numbing is the fact Delhi reported highest number of girl child rape case at 833 last year. This must be horrendous.
TP further dug out data from the NCRB Report to say that one-third of the crime against women took place in Delhi last year, and that was 13892 out of the total 43,414 for the country.
Delhi is not a state, and the law and order indeed comes under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Home Affairs.
So, the blame lies both at the doorsteps of the Narendra Modi-led government at the Centre and also the Arvind Kejriwal administration in the national capital.
This is because, as argued by TP, pendency in court, which counts for 90 per cent rape cases, comes under the jurisdiction of the Kejriwal government, is one of the key reasons for tough laws being toothless against the criminals.
The Modi government also needs to know that accountability needs to be fixed in Delhi Police, and enacting laws are just superficial in fight against crime against women.
Supreme Court to review PMLA changes
Enforcement Directorate with the powers enshrined in the amended Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) has been widely slammed for having become a monster, while inviting comparison even with ‘Bhashmasur’.
In the name of national interest, draconian laws are now new normal in the country, which trample upon the basic norms of the rule of law and natural justice.
Deccan Herald has commented on the decision of the Supreme Court to review its July 27 decision which gave nod to the changes in the PMLA.
The apex court had held that the ED officials who held investigations under the PMLA are not police officials and hence the statements recorded by them could be accepted by courts as evidence of wrongdoing, noted DH, while stating that this went against the constitutional provision that guarantees the fundamental right against self-incrimination.
“The court also held that the Enforcement Case Information Report (ECIR) cannot be equated with an FIR and so supplying ECIR to an accused person is not mandatory. It was also satisfied with the stringent bail conditions provided by the law, which has the presumption of guilt of the accused running through many of its provisions. The court’s view on bail in the case of the PMLA was at odds with its own rulings on bail in general in the past and specifically in a case involving the same law in 2017,” DH reminded the July 27 apex court endorsement of the changes in the PMLA.
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