LAW ANIMATED WORLD: 2007

Thursday, November 8, 2007

LAW ANIMATED WORLD 31 OCTOBER 2007 ISSUE

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LAW ANIMATED WORLD 31 OCTOBER 2007 ISSUE

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Thursday, October 25, 2007

Wednesday, October 24, 2007

Saturday, October 20, 2007

LAW ANIMATED WORLD 30 SEPTEMEBER 2007 ISSU

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LAW ANIMATED WORLD 15 OCTOBER 2007 ISSUE

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Thursday, October 18, 2007

LAW ANIMATED WORLD 15 OCTOBER 2007 EDITORIAL

FOR DEMOCRACY IN BURMA

the entire international community needs to vigorously agitate. It is a shame on the conscience of world humanity that intrepid human rights activist and Nobel Peace Laureate Aung San Suu Kyi is languishing in detention since long years and millions of peaceloving innocent people are being trampled under military boots in this small neighbour of ours, which after all was a part of [British] India till 1937. It is heartening to note that eminent British lawyers have recently protested vigorously demanding restoration of democracy in Burma. The United Nations also tried to intervene by sending its special emissary Gambari but it seems his efforts to bring the military junta to peace talks have come to a naught. As long as major nations do not intervene actively – at least not support the junta with monetary and military aid as China does – it is doubtful whether the dark night enveloping the Burmese people will end soon. International sanctions againt the regime there must be and the Security Council should intervene even to the extent of threatening or initiating military action against the military rulers who are cruelly repressing even the generally respected, peaceloving Buddhist monks. More important, civil rights activists all over the world should agitate and mobilize people to pressurize China, the mainstay of the junta, to forthwith stop all aid to the regime and bring it to the negotiating table for restoration of democracy. Our Indian government also needs to be goaded to become proactive. We must even threaten Boycott of the 2008 Beijing Olympics, making it the main plank of the pro-democracy agitation in the coming months. We urge and expect our lawyers also raise their concerted voice against the dictatorship in Burma and demand the immediate release of the beacon of Burmese liberty §§§

Sunday, October 7, 2007

Brochure LAW ANIMATED WORLD

LAW ANIMATED WORLD

A world law fortnightly published from Hyderabad, India.
Owner, Printer and Publisher: I. BalamaniEditor: I. Mallikarjuna Sharma
ADVISORY BOARD: Dr. Lakshmi Sahgal (INA Colonel), V.R. Krishna Iyer (Former Judge, SC), B.P. Jeevan Reddy (Former Judge, SC), P.A. Choudary (Former Judge, APHC), Surendra Mohan (Ex-MP), Prof. R.V.R. Chandrasekhara Rao (Politics), Umesh Chandra (Senior Advocate, Lucknow), Colin Gonsalves (Senior Advocate, Delhi), K. Subba Rao (Senior Advocate, Bangalore), K.G. Kannabiran (Senior Advocate & National President, PUCL) & Ms. Chandan Ramamurthi (Advocate, Delhi).

This is a journal meant to inform the public about the necessary details regarding important developments of law all over the world thus contributing in general to the cause of human progress and welfare. We are all members of one great human species and it is the grand noble ideal always projected in our country since very ancient times to view the entire world as one family - vasudhaiva kutumbakam. This law fortnightly has been formally started in March 2005 but prior to that for one year it appeared in almost regular fortnightly bulletins. We are committed to the ideals and causes of progress, democracy, liberty, equality, fraternity and human welfare in consonance with environmental improvement and universal harmony. Politically we are dedicated to and so would like to project the virtues of scientific socialism but at the same time we refrain from being closed-minded and try to be in the know of and also report about the various other streams of thought and analysis abounding all over the world. As the title of this journal indicates we largely confine its scope to law-reporting with, of course, occasional and necessary incursions into the fields of economics, sociology, history, politics and culture. This is no ordinary law reporter but a unique journal of its type in our country. We will be making, as and when necessary, some ‘ruthless criticism of all existing conditions’ in the columns of this paper in addition to reporting valuable judgments and decisions by various international and foreign courts and forums including, of course and occasionally, our own courts. The goal of scientific socialism we will never forget but it will be enriched and modified as needed by considerations of liberty, democracy and humanity. Hope the readers would understand and appreciate our ideals and intentions and wholeheartedly encourage and assist us in our endeavours.
We are grateful to the many friends and well-wishers who have so far extended their moral and monetary support. But there is great need to rapidly increase the circulation of the journal and also augment its lean coffers. We request and hope that many more friends and well-wishers would come to our aid and appeal to one and all to publicize this journal, enroll more subscribers, enlist liberal donors and also try securing some advertisements at least.
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[I. MALLIKARJUNA SHARMA], Editor [I. BALAMANI], Publisher
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FOR THE FALLEN: Poem by Laurence Binyon in last cover page LAW 30-09-07

FOR THE FALLEN

With proud thanksgiving, a mother for her children,
England mourns for her dead across the sea.
Flesh of her flesh they were, spirit of spirit,
Fallen in the cause of the free.

Solemn the drums thrill: Death august and royal
Sings sorrow up into immortal spheres.
There is music in the midst of desolation
And a glory that shines upon our tears.

They went with songs to the battle, they were young,
Straight of limb, true of eye, steady and aglow.
They were staunch to the end against odds uncounted,
They fell with their faces to the foe.

They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old;
Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.
At the going down of the sun and in the morning
WE WILL REMEMBER THEM.

They mingle not with laughing comrades again;
They sit no more at familiar tables of home;
They have no lot in our labour of the day-time;
They sleep beyond England's foam.

But where our desires are and our hopes profound,
Felt as a well-spring that is hidden from sight,
To the innermost heart of their own land they are known
As the stars are known to the Night;

As the stars that shall be bright when we are dust,
Moving in marches upon the heavenly plain,
As the stars that are starry in the time of our darkness,
To the end, to the end, they remain.
[Robert Laurence Binyon (1869-1943), famous English poet, dramatist and art scholar;
born in Lancaster to a clergyman; penned the above ‘one of the most moving tributes
to the war dead’ on the Pentire Cliffs in Cornwall in September 1914; known as Ode of Remembrance it is invariably recited at all Remembrance Day ceremonies in Britain and elsewhere to this day; although too old to enlist, he went to the Western Front as a medical orderly in the Red Cross and the poem - The Healers, bears that stamp.]

THE HEALERS
In a vision of the night I saw them,
In the battles of the night.
'Mid the roar and the reeling shadows of blood
They were moving like light,
Light of the reason, guarded Tense within the will,
As a lantern under a tossing of boughs Burns steady and still.
With scrutiny calm, and with fingers Patient as swift
They bind up the hurts and the pain-writhen Bodies uplift,
Untired and defenceless; around them With shrieks in its breath
Bursts stark from the terrible horizon Impersonal death;
But they take not their courage from anger That blinds the hot being;
hey take not their pity from weakness; Tender, yet seeing;
Feeling, yet nerved to the uttermost; Keen, like steel;
Yet the wounds of the mind they are stricken with, Who shall heal?
They endure to have eyes of the watcher In hell, and not swerve
For an hour from the faith that they follow, The light that they serve.
Man true to man, to his kindness That overflows all,
To his spirit erect in the thunder When all his forts fall, —
This light, in the tiger-mad welter,
They serve and they save.
What song shall be worthy to sing of them —
Braver than the brave?
* * * * *

EditLaw30-09-07: We certainly remember them!

WE CERTAINLY REMEMBER THEM!

We Indians are used to celebrate more the birth anniversaries of our gods and saints, heroes and heroines than death anniversaries. That is because we don’t like to think that they are really dead and gone or even that they have aged. In the poet’s immortal words, “They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old.” There are certain exceptions like the martyrdom day of Bhagat Singh and his comrades (23 March) which is celebrated with more zeal and dedication. But as of now we remember him on the occasion of his birth centenary (28 September). He and his comrades, in and through their deaths, lived and still live along in the hearts of countless millions of our country. Durga Devi, more popular as Durga Bhabhi, was of the same age and spirits as Bhagat Singh and was lucky to have martyr Bhagawati Charan Vohra as her husband who encouraged her in every way to aid and act in the revolutionary movement to overthrow the imperialist rule. As ‘chums’ she and Bhagat used to celebrate their birthday in common and she rendered utmost service by safely escorting him, amidst grave dangers, from Lahore to Calcutta. She also sheltered him in Delhi before he presented himself to be caught at the Central Legislative Assembly after throwing bombs “to make the deaf hear.” Later she lost her husband in their efforts to rescue Bhagat Singh and his comrades, but bore with fortitude that bereavement. Thereafter till her natural death on 15 October 1999 at Ghaziabad, she strove actively to achieve the ideals of her husband and Bhagat Singh and was ceaselessly engaged in activities for socialism and public education. On this their ‘common birth centenary’ we pay our glowing tributes to both these ever-green icons as also to their friends-philosophers-and-guides – Bhagwati Charan, Azad, et al with firm resolve never to forget their ideals and aspirations §§§

FOR THE FALLEN: last cover page LAW 30-09-2007

FOR THE FALLEN
With proud thanksgiving, a mother for her children,England mourns for her dead across the sea.Flesh of her flesh they were, spirit of spirit,Fallen in the cause of the free.
Solemn the drums thrill: Death august and royalSings sorrow up into immortal spheres.There is music in the midst of desolationAnd a glory that shines upon our tears.
They went with songs to the battle, they were young,Straight of limb, true of eye, steady and aglow.They were staunch to the end against odds uncounted,They fell with their faces to the foe.
They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old;Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.At the going down of the sun and in the morningWE WILL REMEMBER THEM.
They mingle not with laughing comrades again;They sit no more at familiar tables of home;They have no lot in our labour of the day-time;They sleep beyond England's foam.
But where our desires are and our hopes profound,Felt as a well-spring that is hidden from sight,To the innermost heart of their own land they are knownAs the stars are known to the Night;
As the stars that shall be bright when we are dust,Moving in marches upon the heavenly plain,As the stars that are starry in the time of our darkness,To the end, to the end, they remain.
[Robert Laurence Binyon (1869-1943), famous English poet, dramatist and art scholar; born in Lancaster to a clergyman; penned the above ‘one of the most moving tributes to the war dead’ on the Pentire Cliffs in Cornwall in September 1914; known as Ode of Remembrance it is invariably recited at all Remembrance Day ceremonies in Britain and elsewhere to this day; although too old to enlist, he went to the Western Front as a medical orderly in the Red Cross and the poem - The Healers, bears that stamp.]

THE HEALERS
In a vision of the night I saw them, In the battles of the night. 'Mid the roar and the reeling shadows of blood They were moving like light,
Light of the reason, guarded Tense within the will, As a lantern under a tossing of boughs Burns steady and still.
With scrutiny calm, and with fingers Patient as swift They bind up the hurts and the pain-writhen Bodies uplift,
Untired and defenceless; around them With shrieks in its breath Bursts stark from the terrible horizon Impersonal death;
But they take not their courage from anger That blinds the hot being; They take not their pity from weakness; Tender, yet seeing;
Feeling, yet nerved to the uttermost; Keen, like steel; Yet the wounds of the mind they are stricken with, Who shall heal?
They endure to have eyes of the watcher In hell, and not swerve For an hour from the faith that they follow, The light that they serve.
Man true to man, to his kindness That overflows all, To his spirit erect in the thunder When all his forts fall, —
This light, in the tiger-mad welter, They serve and they save. What song shall be worthy to sing of them —Braver than the brave?
* * * * *

FREE BURMA!

Saturday, September 22, 2007

DON'T DESTROY THE ECO-HERITAGE!

EDITORIAL 15 SEPTEMBER 2007 LAW ANIMATED WORLD

Don’t destroy the eco-heritage!

It may be called Rama Setu or Adam’s Bridge; people may really believe Lord Ram and his monkey army built it or that Adam passed over it to meditate on the Adam’s peak. Or may be as Karunanidhi lambasts it is just a piece of fiction from a myth that allegorically reflected the conflict between the Aryans and the Dravidians and Rama himself is but an imaginary character. But the point here is all experts agree that it is a chain of limestone shoals and coral reefs. All admit that it took several thousands of years for such a formation to emerge and it actually might have bridged the mainland with Sri Lanka a few thousands of years ago. The shallow waters now might have later engulfed this geological formation. And in the not-too-remote Tsunami disaster that devastated Nagapattinam and many other places in South India this natural barrier had effectively protected the southern shores of Kerala from its ravages. Moreover the Sri Lankan Government seems to be dead set against the destruction of this natural barrier through dredging. In such circumstances we also feel and opine it would not be wise or proper for the Government of India to go whole hog with the Setusamudram Project in the name of cutting down shipping expenses in future. Critics also see and decry American and multinational machinations in pushing forward this immensely costly project destroying our natural heritage. It is heartening to note that our Supreme Court has intervened by staying all dredging operations in connection with the project pending disposal of some cases before it. Hope the people in a non-communal and eco-protective manner exert the needed pressure on both the Central and Tamil Nadu Governments to desist from such destruction and explore alternative eco-friendly options for the Setusamudram Project ¨¨¨

DON'T DESTROY THE ECO-HERITAGE!

A world law fortnightly published from Hyderabad, India.
Editor: I. Mallikarjuna Sharma
ADVISORY BOARD: Dr. Lakshmi Sahgal (INA Colonel), V.R. Krishna Iyer (Former Judge, SC), B.P. Jeevan Reddy (Former Judge, SC), P.A. Choudary (Former Judge, APHC), Surendra Mohan (Ex-MP), Prof. R.V.R. Chandrasekhara Rao (Politics), Umesh Chandra (Senior Advocate, Lucknow), Colin Gonsalves (Senior Advocate, Delhi), K. Subba Rao (Senior Advocate, Bangalore), K.G. Kannabiran (Senior Advocate & National President, PUCL), Ms. Chandan Ramamurthi (Advocate, Delhi).
Volume 3: Part 2 15 September 2007 No. 17
C O N T E N T S
1. Don’t destroy the eco-heritage! 1
2. Law News: Global Fishing Crisis 2
3. Human Rights violations by USA 3-6
4. Rowlatt Report 7-8, 57-58
5. CRC Report 9-10, 55-56
6. DPP v. T O'Regan [IRE-SC] 11-26
7. DPP v. Willoughby [IRE-CCA] 27-41
8. DPP v. Cronin [IRE-SC] 42-54
9. To Build a Fire, Jack London 59-61
10. Oh, Public! Anton Chekov 62-63
11. Poems by Pash 64
Pictures: Rama Setu or Adam’s Bridge, by courtesy of Google Images, NASA and Manitham, respectively.
Editorial Office: 6-3-1243/156, M.S. Makta, Opposite Raj Bhavan, Hyderabad - 500 082 (Ph: 23300284)E-mail: malliksharma@yahoo.com ; Film making: VSS Laser Graphics, Hyderabad - 500004 {Ph: 55365979};
Printed at Pragati Offset Pvt. Ltd., Red Hills, Hyderabad-4. (Ph: 23304835)
Annual Subscription: Rs. 700/- Abroad: $ 120 (postage extra)
Life Subscription: Rs. 8000/-
Payments to be sent by Cheque/DD/ MO in favour of LAW ANIMATED WORLD at 6-3-1243/156, M.S. Makta, Opp. Raj Bhavan, Hyderabad-500082.
[Please add Rs. 50/- for outstation cheques]
Don’t destroy the eco-heritage!

It may be called Rama Setu or Adam’s Bridge; people may really believe Lord Ram and his monkey army built it or that Adam passed over it to meditate on the Adam’s peak. Or may be as Karunanidhi lambasts it is just a piece of fiction from a myth that allegorically reflected the conflict between the Aryans and the Dravidians and Rama himself is but an imaginary character. But the point here is all experts agree that it is a chain of limestone shoals and coral reefs. All admit that it took several thousands of years for such a formation to emerge and it actually might have bridged the mainland with Sri Lanka a few thousands of years ago. The shallow waters now might have later engulfed this geological formation. And in the not-too-remote Tsunami disaster that devastated Nagapattinam and many other places in South India this natural barrier had effectively protected the southern shores of Kerala from its ravages. Moreover the Sri Lankan Government seems to be dead set against the destruction of this natural barrier through dredging. In such circumstances we also feel and opine it would not be wise or proper for the Government of India to go whole hog with the Setusamudram Project in the name of cutting down shipping expenses in future. Critics also see and decry American and multinational machinations in pushing forward this immensely costly project destroying our natural heritage. It is heartening to note that our Supreme Court has intervened by staying all dredging operations in connection with the project pending disposal of some cases before it. Hope the people in a non-communal and eco-protective manner exert the needed pressure on both the Central and Tamil Nadu Governments to desist from such destruction and explore alternative eco-friendly options for the Setusamudram Project ¨¨¨

DOUSE THE NUCLEAR FIRE!

EDITORIAL 31 AUGUST 2007 LAW

A world law fortnightly published from Hyderabad, India.
Editor: I. Mallikarjuna Sharma
ADVISORY BOARD: Dr. Lakshmi Sahgal (INA Colonel), V.R. Krishna Iyer (Former Judge, SC), B.P. Jeevan Reddy (Former Judge, SC), P.A. Choudary (Former Judge, APHC), Surendra Mohan (Ex-MP), Prof. R.V.R. Chandrasekhara Rao (Politics), Umesh Chandra (Senior Advocate, Lucknow), Colin Gonsalves (Senior Advocate, Delhi), K. Subba Rao (Senior Advocate, Bangalore), K.G. Kannabiran (Senior Advocate & National President, PUCL), Ms. Chandan Ramamurthi (Advocate, Delhi).
Volume 3: Part 2 31 August 2007 No. 16
C O N T E N T S
1. Douse the Nuclear Fire! 1
2. Bhagat Singh Birth Centenary 2, 59
3. Section 123 of AEA, 1954 3-7
4. Non-Proliferation Treaty 8-11
5. Operation Paget Inquiry Report (on Diana Death) 11-14, 51-52
6. Rowlatt Report 15-16, 45-46
7. CRC Report 17-18, 43-44
8. Constitutional Complaint by Ms. K … [GER-FCC] 19-42
9. Human Rights violations by US 47-50
10. To Build a Fire, Jack London 53-58
11. Poems by Robert Burns 60
Pictures: 1. 14 kiloton nuclear explosion, US (1951); 2. The Nagasaki Nuke (1945); 3. Chinese H-Bomb test; 4. Our ‘Smiling Buddha’ crater (Pokharan, 1974).
Editorial Office: 6-3-1243/156, M.S. Makta, Opposite Raj Bhavan, Hyderabad - 500 082 (Ph: 23300284)E-mail: malliksharma@yahoo.com ; Film making: VSS Laser Graphics, Hyderabad - 500004 {Ph: 55365979};
Printed at Pragati Offset Pvt. Ltd., Red Hills, Hyderabad-4. (Ph: 23304835)
Annual Subscription: Rs. 700/- Abroad: $ 120 (postage extra)
Life Subscription: Rs. 8000/-
Payments to be sent by Cheque/DD/ MO in favour of LAW ANIMATED WORLD at 6-3-1243/156, M.S. Makta, Opp. Raj Bhavan, Hyderabad-500082.
[Please add Rs. 50/- for outstation cheques]
DOUSE THE NUCLEAR FIRE!

3

1 2 4
In the bustle and din surrounding the 123 Agreement by Bush and Man, many in India seem to have forgotten the Hiroshima Day (August 6) and the pledge of all peace lovers in the world to actively work against nuclear weaponization and for complete disarmament. One ought to remember that “the first and only nuclear weapons used in war destroyed two cities killing more than 2,00,000 people by the end of 1945. The radiation … continues to cause cancers, mutations, and birth defects [to this day].” Also that “over the six decades of the nuclear age, every site worldwide, involved in the mining, milling, production and fabrication of uranium, for either weapons or ‘peaceful’ energy, has left a lethal legacy of radioactive waste, illness, and damage to our genetic heritage. Indigenous and colonized people have borne a disproportionate share of the suffering …. Plutonium, created by burning uranium fuel …, stays radioactive for more than 250,000 years and we still haven't figured out how to safely contain it. So-called ‘depleted’ uranium metal, a by-product …, has been manufactured into armaments used by the U.S. …, spreading illness and death through toxic and radioactive contamination.” We strongly condemn the contentions of merchants of nuclear death who are very active these days crying hoarse about the ‘clean, cheap and green’ nuclear energy even after the 3-mile-island and Chernobyl disasters. Though not a single nuclear reactor has been installed in US since 1979, they are unabashedly offering 6-8 nuclear reactors to India and eventually our ‘smiling Buddha’ would only leave behind a ‘wailing Indica’. All friends of humanity – no matter whether right, left or centre in politics – in India or anywhere in the world – have to come forward to condemn such mad proliferation campaigns. ¨¨¨

Thursday, August 9, 2007

A world law fortnightly published from Hyderabad, India.
Editor: I. Mallikarjuna Sharma
ADVISORY BOARD: Dr. Lakshmi Sahgal (INA Colonel), V.R. Krishna Iyer (Former Judge, SC), B.P. Jeevan Reddy (Former Judge, SC), P.A. Choudary (Former Judge, APHC), Surendra Mohan (Ex-MP), Prof. R.V.R. Chandrasekhara Rao (Politics), Umesh Chandra (Senior Advocate, Lucknow), Colin Gonsalves (Senior Advocate, Delhi), K. Subba Rao (Senior Advocate, Bangalore), K.G. Kannabiran (Senior Advocate & National President, PUCL), Ms. Chandan Ramamurthi (Advocate, Delhi).
Volume 3: Part 2 31 July 2007 No. 14
C O N T E N T S
1. Whose father’s property… 1
2. John Brown’s Court Statement 2
3. The Other War: Iraq Veterans Narrate 3-10
4. Rowlatt Report 11-12, 57-58
5. CRC Report 13-14, 55-56
6. Parents, Community Schools v. Seattle School Dt. [US-SC] 15-54
7. Human Rights Violations by USA (Human Rights Watch) 59-62
8. The Devil and Daniel Webster, Short story by Benét 63-67
9. John Brown’s Body and other poems 68
Pictures: Bhakta Ramadas being whipped, with Tanisha in the background; Proudhon; Rousseau.
Editorial Office: 6-3-1243/156, M.S. Makta, Opposite Raj Bhavan, Hyderabad - 500 082 (Ph: 23300284)E-mail: malliksharma@yahoo.com ; Film making: VSS Laser Graphics, Hyderabad - 500004 {Ph: 55365979};
Printed at Pragati Offset Pvt. Ltd., Red Hills, Hyderabad-4. (Ph: 23304835)
Annual Subscription: Rs. 700/-{January to December} Abroad: $ 120 (postage extra)
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Payments to be sent by Cheque/ DD/ MO in favour of LAW ANIMATED WORLD at 6-3-1243/156, M.S. Makta, Opp. Raj Bhavan, Hyderabad-500082.
[Please add Rs. 50/- as bank charges for outstation cheques]
WHOSE FATHER’S PROPERTY

1is it anyway? Legend runs through a melodic keertana (Ikshvaaku kula tilaka) that devotee Ramadas in his exasperation so rebuked Lord Rama himself. And it was the usual refrain of our late superstar-chief minister N.T. Rama Rao whenever he was irked by the arbitrary encroachments of the Central Government. This question needs to be repeated in the current context when lakhs of acres of lands are being bartered away by the governments in our country to private companies/persons for supposed industrial and other development in the name of public purpose, etc. The very concept and kanoon of treating all land not expressly owned by private citizens as government land, which is alien to the tradition and practice of our oriental economies that were abounding with self-governing village communities and a sort of social ownership of means of production, has to be condemned in no uncertain terms and governments have to limit themselves to being mere trustees of public properties. Rajas or Nawabs in our tradition were only entitled to some specific share of the produce of land. Apart from the general critique that “all property is theft,” [Proudhon] which implies the inalienable right to possession and enjoyment in common of land, air, water and all other bounties of nature [Rousseau], it is all the more disgusting to see small owners/possessors divested of their entitlements by various mechanisms of law devolved from colonial times when governments were but usurpers of native possessions. Recently the AP High Court seems to have questioned, rightly at that, the propriety of such alienation of ‘government’ lands to private companies. The Land Acquisition Act, the Urban Land Ceiling Act, etc., which facilitate such loot of private/public properties to promote the fortunes of private industrialists and the more nauseating ‘new class’ of ruler-politician-bureaucrat dacoits, should be radically amended to exclude/bar such alienation/acquisition of public and private properties for the sake of private companies and speculators. §§§

Editorial LAW 31 July 2007

WHOSE FATHER’S PROPERTY

is it anyway? Legend runs through a melodic keertana (Ikshvaaku kula tilaka) that devotee Ramadas in his exasperation so rebuked Lord Rama himself. And it was the usual refrain of our late superstar-chief minister N.T. Rama Rao whenever he was irked by the arbitrary encroachments of the Central Government. This question needs to be repeated in the current context when lakhs of acres of lands are being bartered away by the governments in our country to private companies/persons for supposed industrial and other development in the name of public purpose, etc. The very concept and kanoon of treating all land not expressly owned by private citizens as government land, which is alien to the tradition and practice of our oriental economies that were abounding with self-governing village communities and a sort of social ownership of means of production, has to be condemned in no uncertain terms and governments have to limit themselves to being mere trustees of public properties. Rajas or Nawabs in our tradition were only entitled to some specific share of the produce of land. Apart from the general critique that "all property is theft," [Proudhon] which implies the inalienable right to possession and enjoyment in common of land, air, water and all other bounties of nature [Rousseau], it is all the more disgusting to see small owners/possessors divested of their entitlements by various mechanisms of law devolved from colonial times when governments were but usurpers of native possessions. Recently the AP High Court seems to have questioned, rightly at that, the propriety of such alienation of ‘government’ lands to private companies. The Land Acquisition Act, the Urban Land Ceiling Act, etc., which facilitate such loot of private/public properties to promote the fortunes of private industrialists and the more nauseating ‘new class’ of ruler-politician-bureaucrat dacoits, should be radically amended to exclude/bar such alienation/acquisition of public and private properties for the sake of private companies and speculators. §§§