Lawfully Yours: By Retired Justice K Chandru | Worried about research grants, academicians allow politicians to hog limelight

Vengaivayal: Media debate won't help, aggrieved groups should move court

The CB-CID's investigation into the Vengaivayal caste issue is criticised by some for being tardy and failing to identify the culprits. Both the state government and the Dalit outfits (backed by even the allies of the ruling party) are making divergent claims. Whom should the common man believe? Why is it that the investigations by state/central agencies are opening a can of worms rather than leading to solutions?

-- E Palanimuthu, Karaikudi

It's not just Vengaivayal; every major crime invites curiosity.

Once the law enforcement agencies get into the act, different political groups jump into the fray and start different campaigns. While some want a different agency to investigate, some are willing to see how the present agency performs.

Vengaivayal is a classic example. The unusual delay of two years brought severe criticism of the agency's (CB-CID) performance.

Now after the final report is filed, some want a CBI inquiry. The allies of the DMK like MDMK and CPI have stopped demanding involving any other agency while other partners are unhappy over the outcome. All this happens because the crime investigation is not swift and inspires no confidence.

The ideal situation is for the aggrieved group to move the court and seek appropriate relief instead of casting doubts over the outcome. A crime cannot be deducted through social media debate.

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Academicians allow politicians to hog limelight worried about research grants

It is painful to see our society and media often denying the scientific community, archaeologists and experts their due share. The dedication of our researchers has been laudable, be it in coming up with a string of life-saving breakthroughs during COVID-19, our space missions or excavations. But every time it is the Prime Minister or the Chief Minister who hogs the limelight. The latest was the announcement of the advent of the Iron Age from Tamil soil. Doesn't the public deserve to know such issues straight from the horse's mouth? Don't we have the right to know how happy our scientific workforce is?

-- Raju Nallaswami, Periamet

The ideal situation is for the people who are involved in such studies to release the report and explain the scientific aspects of the work.

However, the ruling party wants to take credit for the invention so that they can reap the benefits of such a study. This happens not only here but in all scientific institutions. The political heads want to jump in to reap the benefits.

The academicians should not allow it. But often they are helpless. These institutions depend on state funding for carrying out the work. Therefore they want the political leadership to hog the limelight and continue to release necessary funds for further research.

There is no escape for academic institutions since funding dictates everything.