Let off too lightly?

Let off too lightly?
It's a shocking that Kannada actress and model Maria Susairaj over whom Neeraj Grover and Emile Jerome Mathew (convicted on the charge of culpable homicide not amounting to murder) fought, is now free bird (Free to pick up the pieces, July 2) . Was she not equally involved in the gruesome murder?  Can anyone think that after Grover's death, the way Maria Susairaj going to a mall buying knife and bags, chopping body into 300 pieces, was not enough prove about the absolute absence of any guilt? Even after the verdict her confident walk indicated that the judgment is a blatant travesty of justice, though almost in the similar in the Tandoor murder case, Naina Sahni was brutally killed by her husband Sushil Sharma, who was sentenced to death. It seems that the court taking this stand is lack of supporting evidence, due to the prosecution failed to establish the missing links in the story and this is where lacunae by the court were found. And this is the reason about our legal system which puts criminals at ease.
—Bidyut Kumar Chatterjee, Faridabad

II
The judiciary needs to change with time. In the1950s, the acquittal of naval officer KM Nanavati for killing businessman Prem Ahuja was justified because Nanavati was provoked on seeing Ahuja with the naval-officer's wife. But the murder-case of television-executive Neeraj Grover can and must not be equated with the Prem Ahuja murder case. Simple imprisonment of just three years for Kannada actress Maria Monica Susairaj and 10-years' imprisonment for co-accused Emile Jerome Mathew can send out a wrong message- that one can get off lightly after committing such a heinous crime. Therefore stricter punishment in cases decided as culpable homicide not amounting to murder should be there which should even extend up to life-imprisonment.
—Madhu Agrawal, Delhi

III
Cartoonist Manjul's little comment under (Irregular, July 2) says it all most aptly and amusingly too: " There cannot be a bigger punishment for Maria.  Ram Gopal Varma is making a film on her".  The maverick filmmaker surely has an eye for such eerie things.  The 26/11 disaster saw him taking rounds of the Taj in the company of the then chief minister and his actor-son and that led to the unceremonious exit of the former from the top post.  And now this ghastly episode has caught Varma'sattention.  Is it not possible to stop glorifying murders and the like on the sliver screen when there are so many deserving societal issues craving for attention?
—V Subramanyan, Mumbai

Old glory
When old timers come across the name, Presidency College, Kolkata, eminent personalities immediately come to mind. It is heartening to know that West Bengal government is taking efforts to return the old glory of Presidency, ('Team of 8 to restore Presidency's prestige ', July 1 ).  During the pre-Independence days, the non-cooperation movement and the civil disobedience movement was very much part of   student life . From 1920s to the end of 1940s, Presidency College remained an important centre for all national freedom activities. It also produced stalwarts like Ashok Kumar, Aparna Sen , Dr Bankim Chandra Chatterjee.
—Jitendra Kothari Via mail

Unhygienic condition
This is with reference to 'See how food is cooked on trains', (June 30). That the conditions inside the pantry cars of long-distance trains are far from satisfactory is known to all those who have had the misfortune of tasting the horrible food and snacks served therein. The railway authorities, in spite of knowing the unhealthy conditions have not bothered to take corrective action.

The grimy pantries, unhygienic storage and unclean cooks are a shame to the Indian Railways and an insult to the passengers who have to suffer even after paying exorbitant fares.
I don't understand why there is a requirement of a new catering policy to serve hygienic food to the passengers. The new policy promises regular inspections and quality checks. Only time will tell if things will improve inside the pantry cars of Indian Railways.
—Prem K Menon, Mumbai