READERS PULSE 29-January-2023

The Supreme Court’s decision on freedom of expression was completely in favour of the government and its ministers.Once again, Justice Nagarathna delivered an excellent and reasoned judgment. She rightly said that hate speech is an attack on constitutional values.This decision will have far-reaching effects, more hatred will spread in our society.

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Freedom of Speech

The Supreme Court’s decision on freedom of expression was completely in favour of the government and its ministers.Once again, Justice Nagarathna delivered an excellent and reasoned judgment. She rightly said that hate speech is an attack on constitutional values.This decision will have far-reaching effects, more hatred will spread in our society.

The court should have given freedom of expression to common citizens and government employees as well. We saw how BSF jawan Tej Bahadur Yadav was sacked in 2017 after recording a video of poor quality food being served to the army on border duty.Then an FIR was registered against UP journalist Pawan Jaiswal for making a video of school children eating salt and bread. Is it not freedom of expression to show the shortcomings of the government?

Jang Bahadur Singh

Jamshedpur, Jharkhand

 

Tax the Super Rich

The Oxfam study of financial inequalities is reported to have given a startling status report on the economic condition of the people of India. The richest in India own more than 40 percent of the country’s wealth. The number of billionaires in India rose to 166 in 2021-22 from 102 in 2020-21. The bottom half of the population own just 3 percent of the wealth.That a major portion of the wealth of the nation is concentrated in the pockets of certain rich people is the truth. The disparity between the rich and the poor is widening daily despite poverty alleviation programmes.

The wages paid to poor people is too low when compared to the cost of living, and the less said about the plight of migrant workers, the better. The income rate slabs have stood static for nearly a decade. The middle class and the salaried pay their taxes promptly unlike their super rich counterparts who get more concessions. Also, the GST revenue for the government comes from the bottom half of the population while it is only 3 percent from rich people.

This is bad economics. The rich growing richer and the poor becoming poorer is against democratic principles. This is a dangerous trend and needs to be arrested.The poor are paying disproportionately higher taxes, spending more on essential items and services when compared to the rich. It is time to tax the Super Rich and the rich. Taxing the Super Rich is sure to reduce economic disparity.

  1. Ramachandran

Chennai, Tamil Nadu

 

A Bolt from the Blue

This refers to the article “White Media’s Burden” (IE, 21st January, 2023) by Mr. Tarique Mansoor, Vice Chancellor of Aligarh Muslim university, that came as a bolt from the blue for the Indian Muslims. Being head of a prestigious Muslim university, he must have used another method to remain as blue-eyed boy in the eyes of the present government thereby strengthening his present position without rubbing salt on the already lacerated hearts of the Muslim community at large.

M.S. Shamsi

New Delhi