Conversion and Judiciary
It is no secret that religious conversions are on the rise, most being done through ‘fraudulent’ methods. The thin line between choosing to believe and converting by trickery is being exploited by some sections.
The good news is that the Supreme Court of India has stepped in (p. 1, December 6). Sensitive matters like conversion need to be handled with tact and who better than the Supreme Judiciary of the country to handle it. The poor are probably the most vulnerable section.
Balasubramaniam Pavani,
Secunderabad
This country has had enough of religious strife and its far-reaching consequences. It has become the practice of almost every religion to convert people from economically weaker sections by luring them with some kind of ‘deception’. Our constitution provides for free exercise of any custom. Therefore, it is feasible and assertive on the part of the apex court to seek only an amicable solution.
Jayasekharan VP,
Payyannur, Kannur, Kerala
Perhaps judges should examine the issues brought before them in the light of the Constitution and the law of the land, without indulging in discourse that may send signals of bias, and thereby lower the prestige of the judiciary. Objectively determining the role of temptations in conversion would be a difficult task. Given the biased manner in which some official agencies work in the country, it would be an illusion to expect a neutral mechanism.
Manohar Alembath,
Kannur, Kerala
opinion poll
Exit poll predictions are, at least in Gujarat, an exercise in futility. Election campaigning in a state where the ruling party has been in power without interruption, only non-issues took the focus off the real issues. It is also a state that is polarized and India’s Election Commission looks the other way in supporting the ruling party’s campaign – the top leader was seen at an informal roadshow during the second phase of polling.
N Nagarajan,
Secunderabad
Dominic Lapierre
Scholarly writer Dominique Lapierre lived a rich life and left behind many admirers, myself included, in mourning. After reading his indisputable masterpiece, Freedom at Midnight, I wrote to the author asking if he could use his name and influence to make the book affordable for anyone with little money who is interested in buying books by famous authors. Dated May 22, 1982, he wrote: “Dear Mr. Natarajan, Many thanks for your most kind letter. I am happy to inform you that the paper[back] Our new edition of the book will be available soon. You are so right about the exorbitant price. But we writers have nothing to do with it. And we don’t even dispose of copies to send to our friends. With my best wishes always.”
SD. Dominique Lapierre, Avenue Kléber – 75116 Paris
Mani Natarajan,
Chennai