An Adult Individual's right to Marry

Hadiya's case is the latest in the series of love jihad-related events. We are not going to check the merits or demerits of other cases, as it is not relevant to this scenario. The question here is, whether Kerala High court went overboard in annulling the marriage of Hadiya (aka Akhila) with Shafin Jahan.

Main points here are, Constitution of India allows willing adults to marry. Second thing is, constitution also allows people to believe in any region they choose. Of course, there are some conditions. But, in this case, Hadiya (aka Akhila) is an adult and also stated that their marriage is not a forced one. As far as the media reports go, she is psychologically sound. In addition to that, as per her own statement, she accepted Islam willingly. Hence, she is within her rights to marry a person of her choice and change religion. Which implies, the high court decision was not correct.

Love jihad may be real or imaginary. Even if it’s real, then also I don’t think courts have the right to annul a marriage unless husband (and)or wife submit a request for the same. Hope that Supreme Court will correct HC judgment.

For background stories and other details please read the links given in references section.

Sajeev.

References

1. Her journey from Akhila to become Hadiya - IE
2. The Jurisprudential Conundrum Of Hadiya Case - LiveLaw
3. Activists Write to Kerala CM, Women’s Commission on Hadiya Case - TheWire
4. Ruckus halts SC hearing on Hadiya case - The Hindu

Better to Stay away from investing in ‘Mattala International’ Airport

Check-in Counters, Photo by Anuradha Dullewe Wijeyeratne

China’s One Belt One Road(OBOR) is one of the biggest infrastructure projects ever initiated by any country. Probably its only rival may be Marshall Plan for post-world war reconstruction of Western Europe. India is not comfortable with it, as OBOR also sets up transportation points (which may be used in future for military purpose as well) across Indian ocean. More importantly the USD 48bn CPEC corridor pass through Pak Occupied part of J & K (PoK).

It’s not that OBOR is a smooth success everywhere. It ran to trouble in Sri Lanka, where Chinese built seaport-airport complexes at Hambantota during the reign of Chinese friendly Rajapaksa regime. Discussions are also on for a refinery and investment zone. The main attraction of Hambantota is its closeness international shipping routes. China is running Hambantota seaport with a 99-year lease and proposing 6000 hectares investment zone. If realized, this will be the largest of such project in Sri Lanka.

Now India is proposing to invest in an international airport at Mattala near Hambantota. On paper, it looks like a good decision. After all, we are going to sit next to Chinese projects; getting a bigger footprint in Sri Lanka, from where India was practically out during the reign of Rajapaksa.

But on the ground, there are bigger problems. This international airport is also dubbed as the emptiest international airport in the world. Built almost nowhere, this project was opposed by a government agency in the beginning itself. Now hardly any flights come to this airport. Major visitors to this airport are wild animals. Approach road is already taken over by cattle. In 2016, 300+ soldiers, police officers were deployed to clear the airport from wild animals.

In addition to that, Rajapaksa wing is protesting against Indian control of Mattala airport. They call it as handing over national assets to India which is nothing but a big white elephant. In such a situation do we really need to invest, which is nothing but a wastage of money and other resources? Our desire to counter rising Chinese influence in the immediate neighborhood should not result in owning a white elephant.

Chinese outlay for OBOR is good. To an extent all Chinese investments are safe. Everything is in the form of loans to countries; not development assistance or grants. Interest rates are also not so low. All those countries at some point in the future will face difficulties in servicing the loan. Sri Lanka is already facing it. We can help Sri Lanka, and we should help; but not by investing in white elephants like Mattala airport.

Sajeev

Guns and blood red roses – A disaster which could have averted

Everyday when I go out, there is one thing I am sure about. Whatever happens, there is hardly any chance to encounter anyone who empty out bullets on unknown strangers in the street. Even during heated arguments or on trips to other places I am safe. Maximum people may hit me or cause some physical injuries but there is little chance that I may have to face people roaming around with automatic guns. British during Raj (even though it was for their own good) practically made firearms out of the reach of common people. Independent India made it more difficult to for her citizens to get weapons. It is another matter that that even the police are using guns of stone age!!!

What make Las Vegas shooting spree a tragedy is, US administration fails to do what that they should have been done decades back. Why a common citizen, whose rights are backed by one of the most formidable judicial system and police force in the world want to roam around with guns? That too with those sophisticated automatic weapons which most Police forces around the world never used. 
Why it is still a right for a person to carry guns provided the fact that, he/she in a bad rage can take it out and unleash unspeakable horror. Terrorists can easily get their hands-on weapons. Gangsters won’t have any trouble in getting their toys. Why common people are forced to live in under the shadow of fear?

It’s ironic that, even after sacrificing so many precious lives; USA as a country, is yet to learn basics. As David Hemenway of Harvard pointed out, since 1970 more Americans died due to gun violence than all Americans who died due to all wars in American history right from American revolution. Everyday some 92 Americans die due to guns. Remember these people are not victims of some disease which don’t have a cure, not victims of terrorists, not victims of natural calamity… but victims of an item and an idea which don’t have a place in modern society. The earlier US administration and Senate recognize it, the better. If you can’t ban it outright, then at last make it very difficult to buy.

Sajeev

Referencs

1. Las Vegas Gunman Meticulously Planned Shooting, Sheriff Says - NBC

2. 22 guns, 10,000 bullets: How a killer got his arsenal of firearms into a Las Vegas hotel - SMH

3. These are the 10 deadliest mass shootings in modern US history - ABC News

4. Las Vegas shooting: What we know - CNN

5. The trigonometry of terror: Why the Las Vegas shooting was so deadly - LA Times

PSLV – Another Milestone

PSLV, Photo Courtesy - ISRO

When it comes to technology we don’t have many things to proud about. When I talk to others, they often boast about India 5000 years back; which of course is more of a story than a verifiable history. There may be lot of things existed 5000 years ago, we may be far ahead of the world at that time; but two problems are associated with these types of claims. 1. It’s not fully verifiable and 2. Its 5000 years ago. No one talks about 30 or 50 years back.

However, there are a couple of institutions which kept Indian flag flying high in technical arena. One such institution is ISRO. Most of the missions of ISRO are successful and economical; fulfilling the dreams of a country (other countries and universities as well) by providing an economical ticket to space.  In addition to this, ISRO is believed to be free from corruption and inefficiency which otherwise eating away the core of government run enterprises.

There are many good stories about ISRO. Especially its resilience and growth even under heavy international embargos especially after India's nuclear test at Pokhran.

Around one week back, ISRO's work horse (PSLV series) completed its 40th launch, out of this 38 are successful and 1 launch is a partial success. This is 2nd launch of this rock in this year. Probably space mission is one area where pioneer’s visions were successfully me by the institutions they formed.

Two more launches are scheduled for this year. August launch will place IRNSS-1H and December launch is for TeamIndus and Team HAKUTO (Google's $30mn Lunar XPRIZE teams).

PSLV Notable numbers

• First Flight: 1993
• First Successful Mission: Oct, 1994
• Launch of first foreign satellite: 1999
• Total Foreign satellites launched so far: 209 (28 countries)
• Indian Satellites: 48
• Heaviest foreign satellite: TeLEOS (Singapore, 400kg)
• PSLV was used for Chandrayaan-1 (PSLV-XL, 2008) as well as Mars Mission (PSLV-XL, 2013) as well.
• PSLV C37 broke the record for placing highest number of satellites in orbit
  

• Height: 44m
• Diameter: 2.8m
• Stages: 4
• Cost/launch: around 90Cr (USD 15mn) for PSLV-CA
• Total launches: 50 (48 successful)

Sajeev

PS:

ISRO have other series commercial challenges ahead. One is to enter in to the space of commercial launch of heavy satellites to geo-stationery orbits. Another one is keep the order book busy for launch of small light weight satellites. Advancement in software, hardware and electronics considerably reduced the size of satellites. In future, it will go down further. Companies like Space X, Vector Space Systems are actively venturing in to this area.

Banning the Sale of Cattle for Slaughter - Government has no role in Kitchen

Raw Beef Slices - Photo Courtesy: Wikipedia

Recently, Central Government through a brand-new notification made it difficult for people to sell cattle for slaughter.

The notification in question is, ‘Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (Regulation of Livestock Markets) Rules, 2017' from Ministry of Environment and Forests. As the name implies this rule have many progressive directions like,
Section 7 states, 'District Animal Market Monitoring Committee' to ensure all basic needs for animals in animal market.
Section 14 Prohibits the practices that are cruel and harmful
Section 15 offers Protection of animals from injury or unnecessary pain or suffering.
There are many more sections in this rule which will make the life of animals easy in animal market.

The controversial sections in this piece of paper is Section 22 on 'Restrictions on sale of cattle'. Subsections states that, 
b. no person shall bring a cattle to an animal market unless upon arrival he has furnished a written declaration signed by the owner of the cattle or his duly authorised agent—
(i) stating the name and address of the owner of the cattle, with a copy of the photo identification proof;
(ii) giving details of the identification of the cattle;
(iii) stating that the cattle has not been brought to market for sale for slaughter. 

In other words, one can't sell his/her cattle for slaughter.

d. where an animal has been sold and before its removal from the animal market, the Animal Market Committee shall—
(ii)take an undertaking that the animals are bought for agriculture purposes and not for slaughter;

e. the purchaser of the cattle shall –
(i) not sell the animal for purpose of slaughter;
(ii) follow the State cattle protection or preservation laws;
(iii) not sacrifice the animal for any religious purpose;
(iv) not sell the cattle to a person outside the State without the permission as per the State cattle protection or preservation laws.

(i) make sure that the purchaser is not allowed to sell the cattle for slaughter and (iv) makes the interstate trade difficult.

This in turn affects beef consumption, leather industry and export market. The question any reasonable Indian should ask is 'why'? What suddenly happened, which made the government to bring such a drastic change. Did they find suddenly that cattle are an endangered species? No. Did they find that eating beef is injurious to health? No. Did they find out that, slaughtering cattle results in ecological imbalance? Again, the answer is no. Alternately, there are a lot of people who eat beef; there is a big industry and lakhs of jobs depends on it. In addition to that, there is a huge export market as well as leather industry depend on that.

This ban raise some serious questions about the intention and extend of government's role in day to day life. Do government have the right to decide what people should eat and what not (if they are not eating endangered species or resorting to cannibalism)? I believe the answer is no.

Do government have the authority to destroy an industry - leather - without providing any reasonable explanation? Leather industry may be polluting but so as many other industries. So, pollution is not a digestible explanation.

Another explanation provided for this ban is to protect the farmers. In which way, it will affect the farmers. Just think about the situation, when the cattle are no longer giving any return for the farmer. It is very old to provide milk or do some work. In this situation, what the farmer should do? Fed the cattle for many more years without having any chance for getting any further return?  or simply let it go to the open streets? I don't think both options will be more beneficial for the farmer than selling it to slaughter house.

Well, there is also an argument that animal husbandry is a state matter and central government’s notification is an encroachment to State Government’s fiefdom. Well, state government also don’t have any role in citizen’s kitchen.

In this way government's argument, doesn't hold any water and hence the notification should be taken back.

Sajeev

PS: As per the wordings, ban in the sale of cattle for slaughter is applicable only in Animal Market (may not be in households). But the notification gave a very expansive definition for Animal Market.

"animal market means a market place or sale-yard or any other premises or place to which animals are brought from other places and exposed for sale or auction and includes any lairage adjoining a market or a slaughterhouse and used in connection with it and any place adjoining a market used as a parking area by visitors to the market for parking vehicles and includes animal fair and cattle pound where animals are offered or displayed for sale or auction"