Sir — The Congress has blamed the Bharatiya Janata Party for plunging Karnataka’s coalition government in trouble. The allegation, if true, would dent the BJP’s image. But what about the legislators who are ready to trade their loyalty in exchange of lucre? They should be held accountable for their fickle fidelity. The Karnataka imbroglio is symptomatic of the triumph of avarice over integrity.

Biju Reddy

Bangalore

Gaping holes

Sir — The news of two undertrial women breaking jail exposes, once again, the sorry condition of the justice system (“Jailbreak moms: More sinned against”, July 8).

Why was the lower court negligent about the rights of these undertrials in spite of the Supreme Court’s repeated directives to them to be compassionate towards underprivileged women jailed on account of petty offences? Was it correct for the court to insist on bail bonds in this case? The authorities did not inform the accused of their right to avail free legal services.

Petty theft should be treated with compassion because economic hardship is often the cause of such transgressions. In the present case, justice would be served if the previous lapses on the part of the court are corrected. One hopes that the court would take a lenient view of the second offence committed by the two women by acknowledging the peculiar conditions of this case. Ironically, had it not been for the jailbreak, the inept application of judicial provisions would not have come to light.

Subhankar Sarkar

North 24 Parganas

Sir — Flaws in the legal system seem to have turned poor women into criminals. Two young mothers, Sandhya and Shilpa, had spent four months in jail as undertrials, longer than the three-month sentences that petty theft is punished with. They were not provided with free legal aid that they are entitled to. They decided to flee from jail because they feared they would be locked up for a longer period of time. The two women have been rearrested and slapped with graver charges.

Thousands of such undertrial prisoners are languishing in jails not only in Kerala but also in other states. Most of them are accused of minor crimes. The delays in hearings and their ignorance of rights have compounded the problems for India’s undertrials. The attention of the Union law minister must be drawn towards the plight of these people. It is a matter of concern that the legal system is responsible for prolonging their agony.

Asit Kumar Mitra

Calcutta

Parting shot

Sir — Dickie Bird suggested that technology has made the lives of umpires easier. Yet, third umpires have goofed up often, giving the impression that the DRS is far from perfect.

N.V. Krishnan

Chennai