How Can We Matter

Image Courtesy: Web A spokesman of the Ministry of External Affairs, India said that it took special note of the New York judge's decision on Monday to set an April 15 trial date for Donald Trump's criminal hush-money case . It observed with concern that the judge's decision will up the odds the former president will face at least one verdict that could complicate his bid to retake the White House on November 5.   The MEA spokesman emphasized: "In the case of Donald Trump, India wants to encourage fair, transparent, timely legal processes which should not be objected by anyone." -------------------------------------------------------------------- This is what I wish is the Latest News, Breaking News, Top News Headlines ... today from India and around the world.  This is the pleasant dream I woke up from this morning!  Our dreams are about the yearnings that are held deep inside us. Blatant Interference During the last fortnight or so  I was reading about ...

In a landmark unanimous judgment, the Supreme Court on 15 Feb 2024 struck down as “ unconstitutional and manifestly arbitrary ” the electoral bonds scheme, which provides blanket anonymity to political donors. The top court said the scheme violates the constitutional right to freedom of speech and expression as well as the right to information . This judgment was delivered just ahead of the April-May 2024 Lok Sabha polls.  Electoral Bonds Scheme The election funding system called the Electoral Bonds Scheme , was introduced by the Government in 2017 to finance political parties. It allowed individuals and companies to make unlimited and anonymous donations to political parties through certificates bought from the State Bank of India (SBI). Any Indian citizen or organization registered in India can buy these bonds after meeting the KYC norms laid down by the Reserve Bank of India.  Each provision in the 2018 Electoral Bonds Scheme is designed: to ensure legitimacy in political f...

Are lawyers like mercenaries who will fight for any cause provided they get their fees? Image courtesy: Amazon In the book " India's Legal System: Can It Be Saved? ", published by Penguin on 15 March 2017, the author Fali S. Nariman, the renowned constitutional expert and senior Supreme Court lawyer who died recently on 21 February 2024 at the age of 95 years, states: "India has the second-largest legal profession in the world, but the systemic delays and chronic impediments of its judicial system inspire little confidence in the common person".   Debatable Question However, what prompted me to ask this rather controversial question about our uninspiring judicial system is something different. We regularly see a set of high-profile lawyers of the Supreme Court who always represent clients of the opposition political parties or opposition-ruled states or even criminals in their legal fights against the Union government , and who act like mercenaries (hired profes...

I started writing blogs on my Facebook page at www.facebook.com/ntunni but soon realized that I needed a dedicated platform for blogging. Facebook offers minimal formatting options and you can't create a unique look and feel that reflects your writing style. Also, it's challenging for me as well as for my friends to discover my older blog posts on Facebook.  Image courtesy Pixabay On a dedicated blog , people can easily search and browse an archive. Another problem is that Facebook's algorithm controls what shows up in users' feeds. Even with a large following, only a small percentage of friends might see your posts. Finally, your content technically resides on Facebook's platform. They could change policies and even remove certain contents without notice. A dedicated blog platform gives you complete ownership and control . Therefore, I created a new website to host my blogs, namely www.howcanwematter.com and I use the Google Blogger tool to create and publish my ...

Guns kill more than 38,000 people and cause nearly 85,000 injuries each year , with gun violence becoming a leading cause of premature death in USA. This November 2015 book Gun Violence in American Society: Crime, Justice and Public Policy examines how gun violence in America continues to reach all socioeconomic levels and also indicates society's lack of ability to control the violence. Image courtesy Amazon In the latest mass shooting in USA, eight Philadelphia high school students waiting to board a city bus after classes yesterday were wounded by gunshots from suspects who jumped from a dark blue 2019 Hyundai Sonata and opened fire on the group at the bus stop.  8 teens shot in Northeast Philadelphia, with one wounded nine times and in critical condition, police say This is the fourth shooting on the Philadelphia transit system in four days, with one person dying in each of the previous three shootings. Those wounded at the bus stop included a 16-year-old who was hit nine...

In a landmark judgment, a seven-judge constitution bench of the Supreme Court has overturned a 25-year-old precedent, ruling that MPs and MLAs cannot claim immunity from prosecution in cases of bribery for votes or speeches in the House.  Seven Judge SC Bench: Copyright Web  Corruption And Bribery Of MPs And MLAs Erode Foundation Of Indian Parliamentary Democracy: Supreme Court The SC also held that both the court and Parliament can exercise jurisdiction on the actions of lawmakers in parallel. This is because the purpose of punishment by the House is different from the purpose of a criminal trial. Clean Politics Many countries provide some form of legislative immunity to protect lawmakers in the course of their duties, promoting open and uninhibited debate. Examples include the United States, where members of Congress have immunity for statements made in their official capacity. However, this immunity usually doesn't extend to criminal activities like bribery.  In Indi...

Karanavar’s Reminiscences Karanavar is the senior-most uncle of joint families of yesteryear who followed the Marumakkathaayam tradition (matrilineal system) in the Nair Tharavads of Kerala . The present Karanavar of Ningileri Tharavad is Sri Ningileri Thayillath Vasudevan Nambiar . As he is completing his 90 th star birthday today  (ആയില്യം, 4 ഏപ്രില്‍ 2020 ശനി) (DOB: 1105 മീനം 26 ആയില്യം or 8 April 1930 Tuesday) let us offer him a Navathi Pranamam. This memoir is written by his nephew NT Unnikrishnan. Introduction I am jotting down some of these memoirs with the idea that they will be fascinating for the coming generations as they provide glimpses into the people, places, and social practices of the society of 70 years back during the end of the British rule in India. I have also added some historical facts to the narrative ( shown in Text Boxes ) to provide the right context and background.  Wg. Cdr. NTV Nambiar (Retd.)   Wg.Cdr. NTV Nambiar (Retd.) is the o...