The G20 membership comprises a mix of the world’s largest advanced and emerging economies, representing about two-thirds of the world’s population, 85 per cent of global gross domestic product and over 75 per cent of global trade. So they try hard to make a difference. The members of the G20 are Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Republic of Korea, Mexico, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Turkey, the United Kingdom, the United States and the European Union. A heady mix of cultures and vultures!
These very countries are increasingly trying to find thier own G Spot to the detriment of others. WTO is no longer the comfort zone it was. The WTO has become WTF, and the climate is a changing – yet they meet, and on the sidelines, they consipre with one another against the whole or some others to come first! Incidentally the summit was themeed ‘Building Consensus for Fair and Sustainable Development’, according to PTI. I wonder if there was consensus on the word consensus in the theme statement! Next summit’s theme might well be be Amreica First, China Last.
Into this mix, waded India with its 9 point agenda to squeeze the life out of Economic offenders of which India has many due to its ease of business rankings! India is seeking the cooperation of countries that are beneficiaries of economic offences in India. This seems quite a connundrum, because economic offenders in those countries do not retire in India, while economic offenders from India do retire in those countries – due to its great social security, which is missing in India. Secondly, those countries benefit from these economic offences, and they might be offended if we take them back.
Judge Loya died in 2014 of a heart attack in 2014 while staying at the government guest house ‘Ravi Bhavan’ in Nagpur. At the time he was the presiding judge in the the trial of Sohrabuddin Shaikh alleged fake encounter. He became the presiding judge after the previous one was transferred, a routine transfer that served the interests of justice, it was said at the time.
There were those who felt that Heart Attacks like Shark Attacks occur only in infested waters and challenged the recorded cause of his death in the Supreme court. The Supreme Court said it was natural – not the challenge, but the cause.
The nether world has its own justice system – often it haunts those who are injduicious in this world. So the story goes, months later, a lawyer no less, moved a judicial magistrate’s court in Nagpur seeking a probe into Judge Loya’s death. He also filed a petition before the Mumbai High Court, Nagpur Bench which sought to safeguard all relevant documents in the case including including those of the state guest house where he died.
The irony began at this juncture. First, after a division bench recused itself from hearing the petition, another judge of the Nagpur bench of the Bombay High Court on Wednesday withdrew from the case. All this is on record and those records need safeguarding too!
I must go back to my adolesence to read Alistair Maclean’s fear is the key! Great book it was. Kept me on the edge of my recliner till I finished it. I dont want to recall how it ended, I like the surprise.
In the Kerala local body polls women too voted, but there was a surprise for the the BJP, which has led frenzied protests over the entry of women of all ages into Sabarimala. The left which enforced the Supreme Court’s orders on Sabarimala, like it was constitutionally required to do, won big. The ruling CPI(M)-led Left Democratic Front (LDF) in Kerala on Friday bagged 21 of the 39 seats in the keenly fought bypolls to the local bodies. The Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) came second with 12 seats, the results of which were announced on Friday.
Last Word
Farmers continue to march. This time in the capital. And it looks like they will have to march until April when elections are due. Opposition parties march with them, but will they walk the talk later? Or is it just talk during the walk? The farmers walked, and they found ease in in it. But asked the question Why unease in doing agriculture?
The author may be contacted at brian@newskarnataka.com
