Opinion - Letters to the Editor   

The sealing row

The Supreme Court has done the right thing by refusing to entertain applications filed by the Centre, the Delhi Government, and the MCD seeking permission to stop sealing operations in the capital. It is heartening to note that the judicial system is firmly in place. The Governments' expression of helplessness on the ground that they feared law and order problems is a matter of serious concern. Had their plea been allowed, it would have set a bad precedent.

V. Seshagiri Sharma,
Chennai

The authorities committed a tactical blunder by saying they feared the deterioration of law and order. The traders too did not help their cause when they indulged in disruption of civic life. They only betrayed their thinking that might is right, which is contrary to the concept of rule of law.

H.R. Bapu Satyanarayana,
Anand, Gujarat

The court's decision is commendable. All political parties seem to be giving more importance to a small group of traders over the millions of law-abiding citizens of Delhi.

Syed M. Raza,
Lucknow

The incident has become a classic example of conflict of interests. As traders form a major vote bank the Governments, both the Centre and the State, find themselves in a tight spot. They cannot shrug off their responsibility of executing the court order either. But there is a larger issue that reflects the paradox of our system. The MCD allowed the shops to come up in residential areas of Delhi. It gave them water and electricity connection in violation of the Master Plan. After so many years, suddenly the court has stepped in to make all that was legal illegal. It is a case of double jeopardy for the poor trader who must have first bribed corrupt officials to get a licence and is now forced to reckon with the court.

Nishant Prabhakar,
Panchkula, Haryana

If the traders were wrong in engaging in commercial activities in residential areas, so were the authorities that permitted the misuse. They should be penalised more than the traders who are only victims of the system.

Harsh Gupta,
Noida, U.P.

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