Justice after dark

Sir — Evening courts are certainly welcome (“Justice by sunset”, June 6). However, such institutions would be effective only if the lawyers work in shifts. Those who fight cases during the day cannot be expected to continue working at night. They would be a tired lot, leading to inefficiency and delays, therefore betraying the very purpose of setting up evening courts. It would be better still to fill up vacant positions, besides setting up fast-track courts for the completion of trials to clear the huge backlog of pending cases.

Yours faithfully,
Manoj Kumar Sinha, Calcutta

Bury the truth

Sir — Former Pakistan skipper, Imran Khan, is absolutely right in asking the country’s cricket board to sue the Jamaican police for its inept handling of the investigation into Bob Woolmer’s mysterious death (“Someone has to be answerable, says Imran”, June 14). It is shocking to note that the investigators took more than three months to arrive at this conclusion after maintaining all along that the former Pakistan coach was murdered. This also means that Mark Shields, who headed the investigation, and Ere Seshaiah, the toxicologist, had been wrong from the beginning. How could the Jamaican authorities ask such a man to head such a high-profile case? Is it because they are unconcerned about their reputation and integrity?

Shields’s career, in all probability, is over. It would now be even difficult for him to bag a constable’s job. Also, one must spare a thought for Gillian, Woolmer’s widow. The thought that her husband was not murdered but died a ‘natural death’ is small consolation, considering what she had to go through in the last few months.

Yours faithfully,
Govind Das Dujari, Calcutta

Sir — It is difficult to believe that Bob Woolmer was not murdered. The Jamaican police are now saying that Woolmer died of ‘heart failure’, after declaring, more than once, that the coach had been poisoned and that they were close on cracking the case. The turn around by the police shows that in today’s world, money can buy everything, including truth and justice. The shameless bid on the part of the Jamaican police to save the skins of those who killed Woolmer would severely dent the credentials of the force. Unfortunately, corruption is nothing new among cops. The Jamaican police too have their share of dishonest men, just as the men in khaki in India. At this point of time, one can only sympathize with Woolmer’s family. His wife and sons had hoped that justice would be done. But now, they will have to live with the fact that Woolmer will not receive justice, even in death.

Yours faithfully,
Isha Shah, Calcutta

Sir — The investigation into Bob Woolmer’s death had long become a farce. There is no doubt that Woolmer was murdered. But now, it appears that the Jamaican police are unwilling to come out with the truth. Nowadays, it has become fashionable for the police to hold press briefings and discuss a case in public, even before the investigation is complete.

The Woolmer case was no different. Every now and then, the Jamaican police discussed ‘new developments’ in front of the media regarding Woolmer’s death. Once, they had also claimed that the name of the suspect would be announced soon. After all this, the police have now termed Woolmer’s death as ‘natural’. This is certainly a cover-up and those trying to shield the murderer should be identified and punished.

Yours faithfully,
M.M. Kale, Kakinada, Andhra Pradesh