Above the fold: Top stories of the day
1. Politicians gathered at Rajaji Marg to pay homage to former President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, whose mortal remains were brought to Delhi, before being taken to Rameswaram, in the last journey home.
2. GPS coordinates of the slain attackers of Gurdaspur confirm they crossed the border from Pakistan into Pathankot.
3. The Centre returned the controversial Gujarat Control of Terrorism and Organised Crime Bill to the state, after objections from the IT ministry.
The Big Story: The many trials of Yakub Memon
As Yakub Memon was granted reprieve, an important point was raised in Supreme Court on Tuesday. The two judges were hearing an appeal for a stay on Memon's death warrant, on the grounds that it had been issued by the Maharashtra government even before he had exhausted all the legal measures available to him. Attorney General Mukul Rohatgi had asked for the plea to be dismissed on the grounds that the death warrant was only held up by a technical hitch. Justice Kurien Joseph responded that it was a hitch that had nearly cost a man his life. He asserted that "law is for man", that the Supreme Court was the "protector of life", that a death row convict, in particular, was entitled to the due processes of law under Article 21 of the Constitution. After weeks in which it seemed the criminal justice system was in a rush to hang Yakub Memon, Justice Joseph's words were a reminder of the ideals on which our judiciary was built.
The Big Scroll: Scroll.in on today's big story
*As the Bombay blast cases make the news again, Ajaz Ashraf remembers the very different outcomes of the Babri Masjid demolition cases.
*Shoaib Danyal traces the questions raised over Yakub Memon's death sentence and the reason behind Tuesday's split verdict.
*Shoaib Danyal on the wide gulf between convictions for the Bombay blasts and those for the Bombay riots.
Politicking and Policying
1. The environment ministry has a new spin on clearances for projects: it's not "diversion of forest land", it's "reforestation".
2. How rumours and a gang fight led to communal violence in Jamshedpur.
3. The People's Democratic Party in Jammu and Kashmir is pushing the youth towards militancy, claims National Conference leader Omar Abdullah.
Punditry
1. In the Indian Express, G Madhavan Nair writes how Kalam asked the questions that point us in the right direction.
2. In the Hindu, Praveen Bhargav and Shekhar Dattatri explain how the Compensatory Afforestation Fund Bill, in its present form, is wasteful and potentially damaging for India's forests.
3. Aheek Barua in the Business Standard wonders what the proposed monetary policy committee would look like.
Don't Miss...
Sumegha Gulati on how inadequate services and long queues for treatment add to mortality in blood cancer cases:
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1. Politicians gathered at Rajaji Marg to pay homage to former President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, whose mortal remains were brought to Delhi, before being taken to Rameswaram, in the last journey home.
2. GPS coordinates of the slain attackers of Gurdaspur confirm they crossed the border from Pakistan into Pathankot.
3. The Centre returned the controversial Gujarat Control of Terrorism and Organised Crime Bill to the state, after objections from the IT ministry.
The Big Story: The many trials of Yakub Memon
As Yakub Memon was granted reprieve, an important point was raised in Supreme Court on Tuesday. The two judges were hearing an appeal for a stay on Memon's death warrant, on the grounds that it had been issued by the Maharashtra government even before he had exhausted all the legal measures available to him. Attorney General Mukul Rohatgi had asked for the plea to be dismissed on the grounds that the death warrant was only held up by a technical hitch. Justice Kurien Joseph responded that it was a hitch that had nearly cost a man his life. He asserted that "law is for man", that the Supreme Court was the "protector of life", that a death row convict, in particular, was entitled to the due processes of law under Article 21 of the Constitution. After weeks in which it seemed the criminal justice system was in a rush to hang Yakub Memon, Justice Joseph's words were a reminder of the ideals on which our judiciary was built.
The Big Scroll: Scroll.in on today's big story
*As the Bombay blast cases make the news again, Ajaz Ashraf remembers the very different outcomes of the Babri Masjid demolition cases.
*Shoaib Danyal traces the questions raised over Yakub Memon's death sentence and the reason behind Tuesday's split verdict.
*Shoaib Danyal on the wide gulf between convictions for the Bombay blasts and those for the Bombay riots.
Politicking and Policying
1. The environment ministry has a new spin on clearances for projects: it's not "diversion of forest land", it's "reforestation".
2. How rumours and a gang fight led to communal violence in Jamshedpur.
3. The People's Democratic Party in Jammu and Kashmir is pushing the youth towards militancy, claims National Conference leader Omar Abdullah.
Punditry
1. In the Indian Express, G Madhavan Nair writes how Kalam asked the questions that point us in the right direction.
2. In the Hindu, Praveen Bhargav and Shekhar Dattatri explain how the Compensatory Afforestation Fund Bill, in its present form, is wasteful and potentially damaging for India's forests.
3. Aheek Barua in the Business Standard wonders what the proposed monetary policy committee would look like.
Don't Miss...
Sumegha Gulati on how inadequate services and long queues for treatment add to mortality in blood cancer cases:
"The waiting period at ACTREC is particularly long, says Dr Navin Khattry, who heads its bone marrow transplant unit, because more people want to get treatment at the centre itself. 'That’s because we have our own funding models where patients who need a transplant but cannot afford it can also get treatment. NGOs and the hospital help arrange funds.'
What if a patient becomes critical in the waiting period?
'If a patient becomes critical, BMT is of no use,' said Dr Khattry. 'The risk may be higher in some patients but they have to wait as per the list. If we have a slot vacant due to any reason, a critical patient can be taken up earlier for a transplant. But one has to be fair in this procedure. Because if some patient is being taken up first, the others in the waiting list might become critical due to loss of time.'"
