THE HINDU EDITORIAL
A) Jailing a judge
The imprisonment of Justice C.S. Karnan, who recently retired as a judge of the Calcutta High Court, for contempt is the culmination of a series of unfortunate and unpleasant developments. It was a step that was best avoided in the interest of maintaining the dignity of the judiciary. It is indeed true that Justice Karnan’s offences in making wild and totally unsubstantiated allegations against a number of fellow judges, and his tactics of intimidation against Chief Justices who tried over the years to discipline him, were shocking and completely unacceptable. However, a Supreme Court that allowed him to enter the hallowed portals of the higher judiciary would have done better had it adopted a more pragmatic approach. Mr. Karnan was due to retire and it would have been sufficient if he was allowed to do so under a dark cloud of dishonor, after spending his last days in office stripped of judicial work. It is an extraordinarily low moment for the institution that a man who the Supreme Court felt needed his mental health evaluated should be sentenced for contempt of court, arrested and sent to jail. As for alternatives to imprisonment, recommending his impeachment to Parliament was a possibility the Supreme Court may have also done well to consider. There is no defence of Justice Karnan’s disdainful refusal to answer the contempt charge or going into hiding to avoid arrest for nearly seven weeks — actions that only served to reinforce his waywardness and disregard for the law. It is also time for some introspection within the judiciary on the manner in which judges are chosen. That someone as ill-suited to judicial office as Justice Karnan entered the superior judiciary exposes the inadequacies of the collegium system. The absence of a mechanism to discipline recalcitrant judges is another glaring lacuna in the existing system. With the Constitution prescribing impeachment by Parliament, a long-winded and cumbersome process, as the sole means to remove a judge, Chief Justices of the High Courts are at their wits’ end when it comes to dealing with refractory judges who are not amenable to any discipline or capable of self-restraint. Non-allotment of judicial work and transfer to another High Court are measures available for the purpose, but in Mr. Karnan’s case these hardly had any chastening effect. Instead, he continued to make the self-serving claim that he was being victimized because he was a Dalit. He now has the option of moving the court to seek suspension of his sentence or appealing to the President for its remission. No one would really grudge Mr. Karnan an opportunity to secure his liberty, but one can only hope that in future he does not use his time in prison to play to the gallery and portray himself as a martyr in the cause of fighting corruption in the judiciary.
B) Kumble’s farewell
A ghastly fissure ripped through Indian cricket as Anil Kumble quit as the national team’s head coach on Tuesday. Kumble’s exit had seemed inevitable once the Board of Control for Cricket in India called for fresh applications for the post of head coach just as the Men in Blue flew to England for the now-concluded ICC Champions Trophy. Until that moment on May 25, skipper Kohli and coach Kumble had seemed to be a perfect match. The duo oversaw five Test series victories against opponents as diverse as the West Indies and Australia, besides winning one-day internationals and Twenty20s. The lone blip was the loss to Pakistan in the Champions Trophy final this Sunday. Speculation that something was amiss got stronger when leaks surfaced about the alleged rift between Kohli and Kumble, a rumour that was initially denied by the captain but has become a fact following the coach’s farewell statement, in which he wrote: “It was apparent that the partnership was untenable.” That Kumble resigned despite the Cricket Advisory Committee comprising Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly and V.V.S. Laxman endorsing his extension is a reflection of his inherent dignity. He clearly did not want to be drawn into an unpleasant battle with Kohli. It also followed the pattern of his earlier departures, be it his injury-induced Test retirement in 2008 or his resignation as chairman of the National Cricket Academy in 2011. Those decisions were swift, the reasons were delivered with surgical precision, and he left with grace. A difference of opinion between two strong individuals causing a discord is not new to Indian cricket. There is a precedent in the spat between Ganguly and Greg Chappell, but there are differences between that tussle and what transpired between Kohli and Kumble. The Ganguly-Chappell feud became obvious during India’s tour of Zimbabwe in September 2005. Subsequently, Ganguly lost his captaincy and place in the team, eventually returned to the team, and Chappell finally resigned in April 2007 following India’s disastrous World Cup in the West Indies. Chappell had a longer stint despite a rebellion in the ranks, and had his say for a large part of that time. For Kumble, the period of uncertainty lasted just four weeks after the BCCI sought applications for the post. The latest development also highlights the superstar culture undermining Indian cricket, a point earlier made by the former member of the Committee of Administrators, Ramachandra Guha. If Kohli can be a prima donna and demand pliable coaches, it will set a wrong example. The BCCI should ensure that a coach with the right credentials is picked and given a contract that lasts till the 2019 World Cup in England. Kumble got a raw one-year deal. It is a position that demands an extended tenure on the strength of results, not one that can be curtailed by bad blood.
WORDS/ VOCABULARY
1) Culmination
Meaning: The highest or climactic point of something, especially as attained after a long time.
Example: The deal marked the culmination of years of negotiation.
Synonyms: Climax, Pinnacle, Peak
Antonyms: Nadir
2) Intimidation
Meaning: The action of intimidating someone, or the state of being intimidated.
Example: The intimidation of witnesses and jurors.
Synonyms: Frightening, Menacing
3) Hallowed
Meaning: Honour as holy / greatly revere and honour.
Example: The hallowed turf of Wimbledon.
Synonyms: Holy, Sacred, Blessed
Antonyms: Cursed
4) Pragmatic
Meaning: Dealing with things sensibly and realistically in a way that is based on practical rather than theoretical considerations.
Example: A pragmatic approach to politics.
Synonyms: Applied, Experimental
5) Disdainful
Meaning: Showing contempt or lack of respect.
Example: With a last disdainful look, she turned towards the door.
Synonyms: Contemptuous, Scornful
Antonyms: Respectful
6) Wayward
Meaning: Difficult to control or predict because of wilful or perverse behaviour.
Example: A wayward adolescent.
Synonyms: Wilful, Self-willed
Antonyms: Well behaved, Docile
7) Introspection
Meaning: the examination or observation of one’s own mental and emotional processes.
Example: Quiet introspection can be extremely valuable.
Synonyms: Brooding, Self-analysis
8) Collegium
Meaning: An organization for people who have similar interests or who do similar work, especially in a university / A society of amateur musicians, especially one attached to a German or US university.
Example: No one wanted to miss the inaugural meeting of the Collegium of Black Women Philosophers at Vanderbilt University.
9) Recalcitrant
Meaning: (Of a person) unwilling to obey orders or to do what should be done, or (of an animal) refusing to be controlled.
Example: The manger worried that the recalcitrant employee would try to undermine his authority.
Synonyms: Contrary, Rebellious
Antonyms: Amenable, Docile
10) Lacuna
Meaning: An unfilled space; a gap.
Example: The journal has filled a lacuna in Middle Eastern studies.
11) Impeachment
Meaning: The action of calling into question the integrity or validity of something.
Example: The prosecutor’s detailed impeachment of the character witness.
Synonyms: Charge, Criminate
Antonyms: Absolve, Clear
12) Long-winded
Meaning: (Of speech or writing) continuing at tedious length.
Example: A long-winded question.
Synonyms: Lengthy, Long, Overlong
13) Cumbersome
Meaning: Large or heavy and therefore difficult to carry or use; unwieldy.
Example: Cumbersome diving suits.
Synonyms: Unwieldy, Unmanageable
14) Sole
Meaning: The under surface of a person’s foot.
Example: The soles of their feet were nearly black with dirt.
15) Amenable
Meaning: Open and responsive to suggestion; easily persuaded or controlled.
Example: Parents who have amenable children.
Synonyms: Compliant, Acquiescent
Antonyms: Uncooperative
16) Chastening
Meaning: (Of a reproof or misfortune) have a restraining or moderating effect on.
Example: The director was somewhat chastened by his recent flops.
Synonyms: Subdue, Humble
17) Ghastly
Meaning: causing great horror or fear / extremely unwell.
Example: One of the most ghastly crimes ever committed.
Synonyms: Terrible, Frightful
18) Fissure
Meaning: Split or crack (something) to form a long, narrow opening.
Example: Low cliffs of fissured Silurian rock.
Synonyms: Opening, Crack
19) Rift
Meaning: A crack, split, or break in something.
Example: The wind had torn open a rift in the clouds.
Synonyms: Crack, Fault, Break
20) Spat
Meaning: A quarrel about an unimportant matter.
Example: When we had our little spats, he had only to smile to get back on the right side of me.
21) Tussle
Meaning: Engage in a vigorous struggle or scuffle.
Example: The demonstrators tussled with police.
Synonyms: Scuffle, Fight
22) Transpired
Meaning: (Of a secret or something unknown) come to be known; be revealed.
Example: It transpired that millions of dollars of debt had been hidden in a complex web of transactions.
Synonyms: Become known, Become apparent
23) Pliable
Meaning: Easily bent; flexible.
Example: Quality leather is pliable and will not crack.
Synonyms: Flexible, Supple
Antonyms: Rigid
24) Curtailed
Meaning: Reduce in extent or quantity; impose a restriction on.
Example: Civil liberties were further curtailed.
Synonyms: Reduce, Cut
Antonyms: Increase, Lengthen
