The hanging of Yakub Memon gives us a good reason to start the debate over the death penalty. I would like to make out a case in favour of retaining the death penalty. The main arguments trotted out in favour of the abolition of capital punishment are these. First, we should not be party to taking precious human life. Second, sentencing someone to death when facts may later prove him or her innocent means irreparable injustice will be done. Third, death is never a deterrent. And, a fourth, that retribution should never be the aim of capital punishment. It is primitive and barbaric to seek death even for the worst crimes. Let me agree that none of these arguments are invalid in toto. But they are not as strong as they appear to be at first glance.
Tourists seeking to make voluntary work part of their holidays have helped build a sizeable industry which is now open to sharp criticism. It seems like the best of both worlds. People using their hard-earned vacation time to give something back to those worse off than themselves. At its finest, travel philanthropy is seen as a form of direct development assistance – a benign initiative flowing from the travel industry and travellers into conservation initiatives, community projects and philanthropic organisations.
What were Mumbai blast convict Yakub Memon's thoughts as the hangman’s noose was lowered around his neck in a Nagpur prison, a little before 7 am on July 30? Did Yakub die a stronger man? Did he die as a man who listened to his conscience 21 years ago and returned to his country to face trial? Or as a man who repented his role in the 1993 Mumbai bomb blasts that killed 257 innocent people? Or did he breathe his last as a man who felt betrayed by the investigating officials who had promised him leniency in exchange for his surrender?
Four years ago, it came as a big shock to Americans Greg Moran and David Back that India lacked any short-term car rental services. So in 2013, the two University of Pennsylvania graduates, who frequently used such services in the US, decided to fill that void. “For the first two or three months we were in disbelief,” Moran explained. “We knew that it would be a huge opportunity—whether we do it or someone else does.” Today, their startup Zoomcar is among the largest self-driven car rental companies in India.
Before his execution, certain gloating has accompanied the rejection of each appeal and every petition that lawyers and counsels for Yakub Memon put up before the Supreme Court over the last few days. And drastically faced 'rejections' to his pleas. From some members of parliament to journalists - leave alone the understandable anger of families of the 257 victims of the 1993 Mumbai blasts - a certain bloodthirstiness has taken over the national mood. Yakub Memon, actually, stood little chance. And got the bitter result of his goodness, advocacy and gentle behavior and a perfect cooperation with investigators and government.
The power struggle between India’s reserve bank and the Narendra Modi government is intensifying. At the heart of the conflict is a new proposal by the Financial Sector Legislative Reforms Commission—first set up by the previous United Progressive Alliance government in 2011—that seeks to dilute the Reserve Bank of India’s (RBI) control over the country’s monetary policy. Last week, a draft proposal from the commission suggested the formation of a monetary policy committee (MPC), where four out of the seven members will be appointed by the government. The draft also proposes taking away the veto power from the RBI governor.
Advertisers often use multiple publishers for their online campaigns, but may not use the best metrics to decide which ones they should compensate. Should companies compensate the publisher who showed the last ad to a consumer before a purchase? Or, should they pay publishers every time they show the ads to prospective consumers? Research by marketing professor Ron Berman finds that the “last touch” or “last click” method advertisers typically employ to compensate publishers is the wrong way to go about it. Berman’s research shows that the “last click” method entails a moral hazard in driving “adverse selection,” where publishers show ads to consumers who would buy the product anyway.
The unfortunate Mumbai blast convict Yaqub Memon finally got rejection for his all pleas to live in this world and ordered to get hanged on his 'birthday' when he turns 53 years, the gnawing question that will continue to stare us in the face is not if he ever participated in the conspiracy and its execution, but if the Indian investigating agencies betrayed him and used his own evidence to hang him. The moot point is certainly not about law, but about ethics. If the evidence, even voluntarily submitted by him, proves his criminality, he deserves punishment. But if he was duped into a sense of safety, it was unethical because it would have made him complacent and thereby denied himself a fair shot at the legal avenues.
