Courts’ decrees on live-in relationships
Recently the High Court of Punjab and Haryana dismissed a plea of a run-away live-in couple who sought protection of their lives and liberty from their parents. According to the learned judge, live-in relationship is “morally or socially not acceptable.”
Another bench of the HC had stated that if live-in relationship was granted than the “social fabric of the society would get disturbed.” Are the courts not infringing on the freedom of two consenting adults? Now the couple may approach the Supreme Court for which time and money would be spent and the precious time of the SC would be wasted. The ruling by the HC is at variance with that made in 2010 by the SC which recognized live-in relationships. It had opined that women in long-term relationships should be entitled to maintenance like formally wedded women. The above is just an example of contrasting decrees by HC and SC on similar cases.
Such judgements confuse the common person who is made to run from one court to the other to seek justice. The conflicting rulings also raise a question as to why the HCs in different States do not go with the judgements made by the SC on cases that are same or similar in nature? The Law Ministry needs to look into such aberrations and come up with a solution so that people do not rush to the SC with frivolous cases.
Sridhar D’Iyer, Caranzalem
Another day, another scourge
Mucormycosis or the black fungus disease has now firmly taken root in India with 5500 cases till date and 126 fatalities, it has also made inroads in Goa; the worrisome part is that we have as usual been caught unawares. Amphotericin B, at present the only drug prescribed for treatment is out of stock at pharmacies and private hospitals, GMC has a small quantity available which is provided to healthcare institutes only on request. The Centre has allocated a mere 100 vials to the state, the arrival too of which is in doubt; widespread steroid use by Covid patients with diabetes as co-morbidity has contributed to this epidemic-in-the-making. One patient in Goa has already succumbed to the disease and there are a dozen infected battling it out in hospitals.
Shortage of vaccines, shortage of oxygen, shortage of Remdesivir and now shortage of Amphotericin, it all follows some form of sinister pattern.
With so much of scientific advice and medical expertise available, why is that we always end up in firefighting mode, trying to put out a fire only after it has morphed into an all consuming blaze; I fear that if Covid doesn’t get us then mucormycosis will. We foolishly pat ourselves on the back for being the world’s largest pharmacy and a vaccine powerhouse but when confronted by an epidemiological exigency we simply buckle over, and the worst part is that to hide our failures we start spinning false narratives i.e. all is well.
Sometimes I wonder whether this is all part of a macabre plan by the government mandarins to depopulate India. The incredible incompetence , criminal complacency, wilful neglect and gross dereliction of duty by the sarkar is beyond mindboggling.
Vinay Dwivedi, Benaulim
Courts force govt to wake up again
This has reference to the report ‘Act before precious lives lost, HC to centre’ (Herald, May 21).
Once again it is the courts which are forced to wake up the government to the reality regarding the pandemic. This time, the Delhi High Court has cautioned the centre with regard to handling of the Black Fungus disease. The centre’s handling of the current pandemic has been pathetic, to say the least. The Delhi High Court has therefore rightly cautioned the centre to take whatever steps are required, to get the required medication from wherever in the world, in order to treat the Black fungus disease.
Well it does not end there, we also have the Blues Finger disease and the possible Singapore variant. The authorities need to wake up quickly. Can they be trusted to do so?
Melville X. D’Souza, Mumbai
White fungus case emerges in India
Amidst a rise in Coronavirus cases in India, there have been several cases linked to the black fungus infection or mucomycortisis. Eventhough black fungus fueled post COVID complications continue to loom, there’s a new found threat which is baffling medical experts. According to reports, cases linked to ‘White Fungus’. The health experts believe to be even scarier than the black fungus threat.
Case reported in Bihar, but there’s no proof to suggest that the white fungus infection is spreading to other states. The black fungus infection is known to have a high mortality rate. The medical experts believe that much like the virulent virus, the white fungus can be more dangerous than the black fungus. And its infection spreads more easily to the vital organs, including the lungs, kidneys, intestines, stomach, private parts and even the nails and causes widespread infection. According to medical expert, the white fungal infection affects the lungs and this can be detected by performing HRCT.
In India, a disease can be declared as an epidemic by making it a notifiable disease under the Epidemic Diseases Act 1897.
K.G.Vilop, Chodan
All set to script history
Indian women are all set to script history when they take on the Australian women’s team in their maiden day-night Test from September 30 to October 3 at Perth, which hasn’t hosted a pink ball Test yet.
India last played a Test ‘Down Under’ in 2006. The pink-ball Test between the two countries will be only the second such match to be held in the history of women’s cricket. The only day/night women’s game played between Australia and England in Sydney in November 2017 failed to produce a result.
N J Ravi Chander, Bengaluru
