Column

Of policy and action paralyses about the Naag !

THE biggest question the Nagpurians have in their mind is: Is the Government -- political leadership and the bureaucracy -- serious about Naag River rejuvenation ? As per recent developments have only underlined the question once again. We all may recall that the Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC) has proposed a Rs. 1,900-crore Naag River Pollution Abatement Plan. And just a week later, Bharatiya Janata Party Member of the Legislative Council (MLC) Mr. Parinay Fuke has given a Call Attention Notice ..

Grounded By Monopoly

The point here is not about the behaviour of IndiGo’s management but the confidence about its ability to come out unpunished despite grave lapses. It is impossible to believe that the DGCA was not aware of the lapses and the airline’s reluctance to carry out system changes. Yet, the regulator adopted a slow-go approach in correcting the flaws, perhaps pressured by the monopoly IndiGo enjoys in Indian aviation. The regulator is at a bigger fault here...

Of an aspirational symbol

A UNIVERSAL symbolism of human aspiration -- the kite ! Flying a kite is every child’s eternal dream. And, why just a child’s; every adult, too, harbours the same dream -- in every geography, in every culture. It does not matter how rich -- or how poor -- you are, but you always harbour the dream of your kite soaring high up in the sky. The kite up their kissing the clouds, creating ripples in the placid blue sky -- occasionally dabbed by cotton-white clouds - - has so much poetry around its dancing ..

Saving Teachers’ Jobs

All the untrained teachers, who participated in the recruitment process were erroneously construed to be a composite class and alleging that there had been a widespread corruption, so the appointment of 32,000 teachers was cancelled...

Cross my Heart & Hope to Lie

It is 7 am. The phone rings - even before the first ring is over, I have already snatched it up. It is, after all, my bestie calling me, and I know for sure she wouldn’t have called me so early, if she didn’t have something juicy to share. There’s this particular tremor I detect in my friend’s voice when she says, “Listen, I have a secret. But you must promise you won’t tell anyone.” It’s not a casual request. It’s delivered in a tone usually reserved for courtroom judges or cricket commentators announcing ..

Freedom From Macaulay - 2

‘We The People Of India (that is Bharat)’ have yet not started snapping the roots of what Dr. Mohan Bhagwat calls the “Macaulay knowledge system”. Until that task is nationally undertaken, no concrete progress would be achieved on this critical front...

Of the immense goodwill they earn !

They wear bright-coloured, sleeveless vests and stand at road intersections holding up placards with appeals to common people to follow traffic rules. They keep smiling as they approach people on their two-wheelers and four-wheelers urging them to abide by rules on the roads. Most people respect those volunteers, all right. However, there also are many who just don’t care -- and push on with their brazenness. For such haughty people, rules make no sense. So, naturally, those who urge them to follow ..

A Bond Of Trust

A FULL-SCALE unlocking of bilateral trade ties between two of its ‘on-and-off friends’ is set to tingle nerves in the United States when Russian President Vladimir Putin begins his two-day India visit on Thursday. In the evening of 2025, this bilateral between Putin and Prime Minister Narendra Modi is being keenly watched by many powers as well as aspiring powers as the Indo-Russian trajectory is slated to define future geopolitics. Coming at a crucial period of the trade deal negotiations between ..

On the absolutely ‘missable’ pleasure of doing nothing

The instant and humongous ‘daad’ that Rahat Indori Saheb received after pronouncing these lines in his inimitable style vouched for the accuracy with which they gave vent to that general emotion. ‘Pairon ka chakkar…’ January se December!!!’ Just days before we were celebrating the New Year! No, actually months have passed in what seems like days. An age in what seems like years! Has someone pressed that fast forward button? ‘Carpe Diem’, ‘Live life King size’, ‘Savour every moment’ and many more such ..

Of an astonishing marvel

OF COURSE, this is a universal experience. Yet, the marvel of both -- of the book and of the friend -- never ceases to astonish everybody. What astonishes more is how a truly good book assumes greater depth with each reading. A true friend, too, grows in his/her warmth, all right. But that is understandable with a human being. The book is different -- non-human, so to say. Yet, in its depth it keeps growing -- as if it has unstated human dimensions. Every book engages the reader in a conversation. ..

No Dilution In Rate

The Parliament intended section 126 to act as a deterrent. If a person uses electricity for unauthorised purpose, he must not pay the same rate as an honest consumer. Otherwise there would be no difference between authorised and unauthorised use. Higher rate is therefore, not a punishment in the criminal sense...

NARCO THREAT

THE live threat of narco-terrorism in the North-Eastern region is meeting a clampdown as India has started taking proactive steps along the porous Myanmar border. The Enforcement Directorate has conducted first-ever raids along India-Myanmar border in a drugs trafficking linked money laundering case. It is a long battle in the region and India’s risk-mitigation approach is the right response to a serious security threat. India shares a 1,624 kms border with Myanmar in the North-East. The States of ..

SC Line On Latest Reference

Each constitutional organ or authority cannot function by itself. The working of our constitutional scheme is premised on constitutional authorities- who are each assigned specific but interdependent roles- performing their duties, akin to cogs that keep a clock ticking. They depend on each other, to keep the Constitution humming, and thus working. They are also constitutionally obligated, to offer checks- and - balances, for the other. Such a scheme, thus, abhors inaction...

Their Script, Her Story

The Bihar dole for women is totally different from the ‘Ladki Bahin’ scheme in Maharashtra. Nitish Kumar’s scheme highlights economic self-reliance for women while the MahaYuti aid of Rs 1,500 per month focuses only on monetary relief to women. The difference in the two schemes is of a psychological shift. One aims at making women realise their true potential as entrepreneurs while the other sends a feeling of entitlement without accountability...

In defence of nonsense

Nonsense - It has been a word, an exclamation and at times a complete sentence. Though primarily it deals with ideas and actions, people have gone as far as to use it as an adjective to describe a person. Very technically, it may denote lack of sense. Sense, in turn, is the ability to think and act rationally. After thousands of years into human evolution and humongous efforts for its cultivation, the place where we presently find ourselves today makes it amply clear that sense is not a particular ..

Companies’ Ineligibility

 By Adv. R. S. Agrawal : Insurance service by its very nature is to secure the insured against a prospective loss on account of unforeseen circumstances. Therefore, the dominant object of availing that service is not to generate profits but to s..

Of the mist’s light hug

WHEN they come in, the winters are like that -- bringing a paradoxical warmth for the human soul. The mist looks and feels like a light, warm comforter that wraps around the shoulders -- giving the body a welcome warmth. By itself, the mist is cool -- even cold in later days -- and wet. Yet, for those who love the change of season, the mist comes in as a warm envelop to begin with. Welcome in touch and texture. True, later, the winter would assume a biting quality, and hit one’s bones. True, a winter ..

Settlement Not Binding

In this case, dangerous weapons have been found and recovered from the accused persons in both cases. There is evidence of use of these weapons by the accused persons their clothes have been found with blood stains. In view of this the HC’s considered view is that only because of settlement between the parties, it would not be proper to quash the First Information Report and the consequent chargesheet...

Romancing silence

A yogic condition, this ! The inner clutter is always terrible, and of course very noisy. It fills the head and troubles the heart. Silence is the answer, they say. Achieve silence, and the clutter would melt, they insist. Achieving silence ! What a task ! Collecting stray, random thoughts and throwing them out is the start of the process of silence. And that is most difficult. Like a restless, hyper-active child, the thoughts roam and dance and bounce around -- without any discipline, without any ..

Delay In Arbitral Award

 By Adv. R. S. Agrawal :  It is only when the effect of the undue delay in the delivery of an arbitral award is explicit and adversely reflects on the findings therein, such delay and, more so, if it remains unexplained, can be construed to resu..

Of hope in darkness

WHEN everything is dark -- the room and the mind -- even a spec of light is most eagerly awaited. For, when the eyes wide open see nothing, even a dot of light lights up one’s inner sanctum. That little dot of light, then, shows that there is an opening in the fortification of darkness around -- and through that minuscule opening, a little spec of light has found its way in. What a delight, that ! The stolid darkness is not impregnable, after all. There is hope, thus, that at some point, some more ..

Gaps In Findings

The High Court’s function in writ proceedings is to test legality, fairness and procedure. It is not to conduct a trial or reweigh evidence afresh. The material before the Court shows gaps in the earlier findings, absence of separate discussion of each charge, and want of proper evaluation of defences and documentary proof. Those defects go to heart of inquiry under section 88 and Rule 72...

Of the silent moment of blossom

THE process -- of the opening of the bud -- is always silent, and away from anybody’s eyes ! Most buds become flowers in the dark veil of the night -- away from any gaze, away from anybody’s contemplation on how that growth takes place. True, many people have recorded on the celluloid how the buds blossom; modern technology having made the difference. Yet, one remembers keeping awake the whole night to see those countless jasmine buds flower in the morning. In those good old days, summers were special ..

Circumventing Marriage Law

THROUGH the judgement of the case – VN & DG, delivered on October 9, 2025, at the Delhi High Court, Justice Anil Kshetrapal and Justice Harish Vaidyanathan Shankar have very firmly stated that not only would permitting the present appeal or even upholding the maintainability of the underlying petition be an affront to our statutory scheme, but it could well become the chosen route such of the ingenious, who seek documentation in support of their nefarious intent, and thereafter, the interference of ..

Of the challenge to clean the city

SIGNALS are available in Nature that the rains are on their way out. Now, with Diwali festivities round the corner, it is time for Nagpur -- its administration and the people -- to deck the city up for the healthy season ahead. Soon, the dampness and humidity in the atmosphere will go away and the air would be crispy and cool -- before it turns very cold in the next couple of months...

Law And Mentally-Ill

WHO opines that persons addicted to prohibited liquor or drugs are mentally-ill. Due to such illness, an irresistible impulse is created in the minds of such individuals, causing them to become violent and commit crimes, generally assault, for money, resulting in serious injury or death to innocents.If such mentally-ill persons are released on bail, they continue their illegal acts. Also, it is dangerous to released such persons on bail, as they pose constant threats due to their propensity to commit ..

Of life of innocence

Simple words, of course, but they communicate the communion between the poet and the Lord within. Mathew McConaughey is much more than an actor winning world acclaim. He is an author, a poet, a thinker and an undeclared torch-bearer of romantic school of living. Tired of logic-focused world view, he felt mesmerised by the enchanting aspects of life -- full of faith and dreams, and of course, poetry as an expression of all those cumulative emotions. The poems in ‘Poems & Prayers’ have been written ..

Pre-Requisite For Probe

THROUGH the judgement in the case Rahul Gandhi v. State of UP and Another, delivered on September 26, 2025, Justice Sameer Jain, at the Allahabad High Court has ruled that if any application under section 173(4) of BNSS, 2023 is moved against an individual then before passing order to register the case, and to investigate the matter, it is necessary for the Magistrate concerned to record the finding whether any cognisable offence against the said individual is made out or not as for registration of ..

The Game Widens

By Rahul Dixit : For India, the security game has assumed a wider dimension. Pakistan’s willingness to play the errand boy for anyone loosening purse strings makes it a dangerous entity. There is a threat of Pak-backed mercenaries..

The Mother’s Pain

A slight chill in the morning air is all that the weather is offering to denote the change of seasons. The rest of the day is hot and humid with clouds not yet ready to depart. The Met office has predicted more rainy days. Perhaps, the Rain God, too, wants to savour the taste of ‘Navratri’. Perhaps He, too, is mesmerised by the grandeurs of the celebrations. Perhaps, He too, wants to have a look at Mother Goddess’ beautiful face carved by human devotion. He, too, wants to touch the Mother’s feet. ..

Modi’s Leadership Urja !

What matters more is Mr. Narendra Modi’s leadership method whose description or definition is not found in any book on the subject -- except possibly the Vedas that often talk of men and women of high spirituality glowing like the Yadjnik flame -- giving not just light but giving energy (Urja in Sanskrit). The current surge of India in every field is thanks to that leadership Urja...

Of the urban mess by design

NAGPUR presents a classic example of how a city has been messed up by ‘design’ -- almost literally, so to say ! The latest example of this comes from the Ashok Circle at which the fly-over (constructed by the National Highway Authority of India -- NHAI) runs tangentially through the gallery of a private house -- which also is an illegal construction. The images of the fly-over tearing through the outer edge or gallery of the private house are really shocking. The story is told of how the house-owner ..

Take It Easy, Gen-Z!

 By Rahul Dixit :   Anthropologists believe that the Gen-Z has always been, for all good reasons, an impatient generation. This generation wants progress much faster. Their eagerness is reflected in boarding a trending hashtag in a jiffy o..

Of time gone by

EVERY-day picture, this ! Yet, when memory darts back in time, emotions swirl up in the mind’s well. What follows is a train of mental pictures of the times gone by, of the scars left behind, of the marks of the momentous life ... ! True, when one is over the hill, aged with vagaries of life, wrinkles represent the road-map that one has followed. Each moment of life has a story of its own, a story most won’t want to hear -- since each has a similar tale to tell. The tale of life’s trail, of its fights ..

Murder And Bid On Life

 By Adv. R. S. Agrawal :   A deep abdominal thrust with a knife followed by injury to the internal organs in practically certain to result in acute peritonitis causing death. It is clearly a case of murder under section 302 and not mere..

Jammed Tariff...errrr...traffic

WORLD has never been this confusing, at least in the years that I had spent in it. Some leaders were always quirky, some situations truly messy, some disasters always waiting to happen. But never was everything this pronounced! The chaos is so into your face. I say the world is too jammed up. It looks just like the roads in my city - jammed. Everyone’s honking, wanting to pass, not letting others pass and consequently no one is going anywhere. Nothing seems to be making sense...

Bail To UAPA Accused

State counsel was also unable to give any reasonable estimate of the time that maybe required for completion of the trial. Therefore, the Court is left with no other option, but to release the appellant on bail, especially, when the appellant is in custody since five years, two months and 30 days and end of the trial is not in sight...

Forever In Mourning !!!

Psychosis' is applicable to the Opposition's mental state because it is so completely disconnected with the reality of New India. 'Neurosis' is applicable to the Opposition because it is filled with every possible negative emotion about the Government and even the country. "Narcissism' gets applicable in the case of Opposition because it thinks so highly of itself that it can do no wrong ever..

The Ride And A Rider

THE regular rants emanating from Washington DC have surged into dirty diatribes. Laced with unmissable contempt, the statements coming from United States President Donald Trump and his close aides are singling out India over trade tariffs. It is a tell-tale sign of a severe jolt delivered to the USA by the Tianjin Troika. Trump is rattled by the exemplary bonhomie seen between Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping at the Shanghai Cooperation ..

Of the inner destination

THIS is seen everywhere -- the urge to merge. This is the most common and most urgent and most ardent emotion that defines everything -- from Nature in its numerous forms to humans in their multiple roles and actions. There is always a movement -- forward and eager to be at a destination ... ! The sea-waves surge eagerly towards the shore. The rivers rush to meet the sea. The humans constantly chase a destination or a goal.... ! All these point to an inner emotion of wanting to merge or to be one ..

Transfer Fee From Lawyers

The Supreme Court has held in the case that State Bar Councils cannot charge enrollment fee beyond the mandate of section 24(1)(f) of the Act of 1961. In that case, the core issue arising for decision of the court was as to whether enrollment fees charged by the in contravention of section 24..

Of one more civic announcement !

AT long last, the civic authority in the city has found time and inclination to think of an integrated way of handling all infrastructure tasks alongside roads. They are now talking of a plan that would fuse all utilities in single ducts along or across the roads -- so that repeated digging of roads is avoided. If the loosefooter remembers right, such a talk was doing the rounds of the civic circles a few years ago as well. At that time also, the newspapers had written big headlines on the proposed ..

Don’t Stray From Reality

Violent attacks by stray dogs, especially targeting children and old people, is a reality that cannot be denied. Dog bites have caused several deaths around the country. Disturbing visuals and reams of news clippings about kids being mauled by packs of dogs are not a figment of imagination. It is a serious problem which needs immediate solution...

Withdrawal Of Prosecution

Matters of gruesome crime involving misuse of public office and public money do not warrant withdrawal of prosecution merely on the ground of good public image of an accused or that he is elected Member of Legislative Assembly...

Cesspool of civic mismanagement

HEAVY rains of just a couple of hours also convert the Purani Sabzi Mandi in the Old City area into a vast pool -- almost in the shape of a lake. Thus, during the rainy season, the Purani Sabzi Mandi area witnesses such flooding every now and then -- in the process leaving the users of the place in an impossible-to-sort-out situation. The area stinks with stale and slushy water and becomes a breeding ground for mosquitoes. This happens every year during the rainy season. Yet, the civic authorities ..

Of the social shame of street go-getters !

THEY think that they are very smart and intelligent and great go-getters. They also think that everybody else on the road is a bloody fool and timid. So, looking at all others with disdain, these smart go-getters just zoom past traffic signals triumphantly -- as if they have just conquered an enemy post ! On the ground of reality, all these go-getters look actually stupid, idiotic and brazen law-breakers. They don’t look smart. They don’t look intelligent. They only look plain hooligans who have no ..

Bear And The Bully

India’s choice of friends for the future will be extremely important for India in this global churning. It may choose new allies or renew ties with old ones according to the prevailing situation but New Delhi must keep Russia as a pivot in every alliance. The Indo-Russian ties will be the most consequential bilateral relationship of the future...

Of the drop and me

VERY spiritual, this experience -- and also very universal ! The rain comes. In trillions of drops that come in torrents. But then, stopped in their flow by the roof-overhang, they fall to the soaked, water-poodled ground drip-drip-drip-drip ... ! That music, soft and as if pin-pricking, forms a rhythm in the mind that fills one’s inner being -- every nook and corner, every grain. The rain stops after whatever time, but the drip-drip-drip-drip goes on for a long while -- taking over the space within. ..

Ignoring Binding Law

This case illustrates how rent control conditions incentivise landlords to monetise even the smallest open spaces, with such enclosures later being projected as legitimate tenancies. The Court must view with disfavour any attempt by a litigant to abuse the process. A litigant who takes liberties with the truth or with the procedures of the Court, should be left in no doubt about the consequences to follow. Exemplary costs are inevitable, and even necessary, so that there is no premium on the truth...

Of the difference between ‘liberty’ and ‘liberties’

 By Vijay Phanshikar : IN THE dictionary, the difference between ‘liberty’ and ‘liberties’ may be stated that one is singular and the other is its plural expression. In social and cultural terms, the two words express alt..