With reference to your editorial, “Satyam, Sahara, SEBI” (July 24), the disgorgement orders passed by SEBI and the money eventually collected should be used to protect investors by educating them about businesses and the key aspects of investing in the stock market. Investors have the right to know about the past history of bad behaviour by promoters and how the fraud was committed.

We collect more than ₹10,000 crore as securities transaction tax from stock market players. With this kind of money we should have empowered SEBI. It is the failure of the Government and the regulator that such frauds happen.

CR Arun

Email

Preserve trust

This refers to “Yours faithfully” by C Gopinath (July 24). It may take months/years to earn trust but it takes only suspicion to destroy it. Trust is like a mirror. Once broken, it can never be repaired, only replaced. Goodwill is the finest by-product of trust. To preserve trust, the saying “Trust but verify” will be handy. If faith moves mountains, trust bonds. If one really means the phrase “yours faithfully” while writing it, it will go a long way to earn trust and simultaneously deal with trust deficit.

CG Kuriakose

Kothamangalam, Kerala

A flawed ethos

The case of the six-year-old in a Bangalore school and three-year-old in Kolkata show how depraved we are as nation. We have high-sounding councils and seminars but scant regard for the safety, care and education of children . Child labour is accepted without compunction. When Norway arrested a resident Indian couple of abusing their child and in fact took their children away for protective custody, we waxed eloquent on parents’ rights, ignoring the rights of the child. Our inadequacy is the fault neither of the law nor of the police but a flawed ethos.

R Narayanan

Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh

Loutish behaviour

The unsavoury ‘force-feeding’ incident at Maharashtra Sadan in Delhi has once again shown up the Shiv Sena as a problem party. This wanton disregard for human dignity smacks of virulent parochialism and bigotry. The anger over ‘unpalatable’ or ‘inedible’ non-Maharashtrian food on the plates of newly-elected MPs is understandable, but the brazen attempt to force-feed a man on a religious fast is totally unacceptable. This loutish behaviour went without outright condemnation by the ruling BJP. Caught on camera and viewed on TV channels and social networking sites across the world umpteen times, it will go to dent India’s image as a secular country.

G David Milton

Kanyakumari, Tamil Nadu

MPs should make provision for chapatis and sabji for the hungry millions living below poverty line in the country and not force-feed those who do not need it. It is time to stop all arguments based on religious matters and work towards saving our poor children. We do not want to see any more communal violence. Let us remember that we are not Hindus, Muslims, Christians or Sikhs but Indians. True Indians respect all religions.

KA Solaman

Alappuzha, Kerala

Disgusting nexus

It is shocking that it has become common for doctors to prescribe unnecessary diagnostic tests in return for kickbacks. The nexus between doctors, laboratories and diagnostic set-ups to share the spoils does not speak well of the profession, not to speak of the dent it makes in the pockets of patients’ relatives. Taking deterrent action against the wrong-doers will send out the right signals.

HP Murali

Bangalore

Piquant position

With reference to “How to solve a problem like Russia” by Vidya Ram (July 24), since individual European countries have extensive relations with Russia, they are unable to take punitive steps without hurting themselves economically and financially. It will be difficult for them to pick industries or sectors to target due to the threat of retaliation from a powerful Russia. At most they can ordervisa bans and asset freezes.

TV Jayaprakash

Palakkad, Kerala

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