LEX INFINITUM !

VM SALGAOCAR COLLEGE OF LAW CONCLUDES LEX INFINITUM 2022: It was proud moment for everyone at the VMSCL Miramar campus when they hosted yet another successful edition of LexInfinitum. It was held in collaboration with the Association for International Dispute Resolution (AIDR). Lex provides opportunities to law students across the world to showcase their mediation and negotiation skills. What is unique about this 7th edition of the international Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) competition is that it was held entirely online via the Zoom platform (owing to COVID-19 pandemic). The competition was conducted from February 23 to 27 and it was bigger and better with 28 colleges (8 international institutions and 20 national institutes) participating in the event. Participants had the unique opportunity of interacting with trained mediators and negotiators as well as fellow participants from diverse cultures. An exceptional experience! Present at the Lex Infinitum 2022 inaugural were VMSCL principal Dr Shaber Ali G and AIDR representative Catherine Davidson gave the welcome speech. Chief Guest Justice Manish Pitale of the High Court of Bombay at Goa addressed the online gathering offering important insights while Justice Mahesh Sonak graced the valedictory ceremony virtually on Feb 27.

NIKHAT, NITU STRIKE BOXING GOLDS

INDIA’S best woman boxer 25-year-old Nikhat Zareen struck gold in the prestigious 73rd Strandja Memorial Boxing Tournament, Europe’s oldest boxing tournament at Sofia, Bulgaria, by out boxing Ukraine’s Tetiana Kob, a three-time European Championship medallist by a split 4-1 decision in the 52-kg weight category.

Earlier in the semi-finals, Nikhat out punched Turkey’s Buse Naz Cakioglu by a similar 4-1 verdict. For Nikhat, Strandja has been a happy hunting ground as she had won the gold in 2019 here. It may be recalled that for the flyweight boxing trials leading to the Tokyo Olympics, Nikhat had been denied victory over MC Mary Kom in a bout that Nikhat dominated with an aggressive display of boxing skills.

Meanwhile, Nitu beat Italy’s Erika Prisciandaro by a unanimous 5-0 decision in the 48-kg light flyweight division to give India its second gold in the tournament. Nitu in the semi-finals had outclassed her Ukrainian rival Hanna Okhota. Nandini rounded off India’s tally to 3 medals having won a bronze medal in the +81-kg weight category. This tournament is an important build up for the world championships. Both Nikhat Zareen and Nitu are India’s brightest prospects in women’s boxing.

— Elvidio Miranda, Panaji

CABINET STATUS FOR RANE?

ALL political parties should make their stand clear on the State-sponsored mala fide lifetime cabinet status  bestowed on Pratapsingh Rane. Their silence on this serious issue is deafening. It is time to flush out the truth and ensure the government and former chief minister come clean over this intriguing gesture.  

This lifetime cabinet status is clearly a quid pro quo gift by this government to  Pratapsingh Rane for ageing to walk away from the political turf and  bless the BJP. Senior politician that he is, Pratapsingh Rane, would be better remembered for the right reasons if he had spurned the offer and resisted the temptation of enjoying cabinet status for the rest of his life – at taxpayer’s expense! Doesn’t he know the public treasury is in dire straits?

Rane could have displayed statesmanship by not succumbing to such glorification. It is now very clear that although he was officially a Congressman, his mind, heart and soul is  elsewhere. Instead of enjoying a peaceful and contented retirement, Rane has sullied his image by proving that he cannot live without government-sponsored power and perks.

It is very unfortunate to have to drag the 83-year-old former chief minister to court. But I would fail in my duty by being a mere spectator to this unconstitutional, illegal and unlawful lifetime cabinet status. I moved the High Court in 2007 when similarly those Parliamentary secretaries with cabinet status were appointed unlawfully.   

–Aires Rodrigues, Ribandar

BUILD FUTURE IN INDIA!
 
BOTH Russia and Ukraine at war the eyes of the whole world are on them. Indians, dreaming of going abroad, should build a future by staying in India! The President of France has said that, “The world should be prepared for a long war.” This  indicates the negative events which will happen in the world in future. Even if the war situation calms down over the next few days, it’s uncertain when the war will resume. Therefore, Indians who want to go abroad for education & job, they should stop their steps from the path of going abroad by knowing the steps of time & stabilize their steps in India. With this ‘the physical & mental pain that can be caused by being in a difficult situation abroad can be avoided.’ Due to this, the family members will also not be worried. Money doesn’t work everywhere. We should not go behind money till abroad. Work hard to contribute your self in the progress of the country. This should be considered honestly. Whoever has the skill, he can create a different image of himself by putting his influence wherever. Now is the time to think carefully & move on.  

Fuel prices are rising, not falling. People are saying on social media, ‘Students are happy to come to India. However, a few days after their arrival in India, please collect the travel fare from these students. People will not have to bear the financial burden of this in future. If you are studying abroad, then you have some money. So you are studying there by spending lakhs of rupees. There are also students in India who are brave; But due to paucity of money their family cannot afford expensive medical education.’

 
It does not seem that the Center will ask students for ticket money. When there was no war situation & when they had to come to India, they would have come at their own expense. Indian students who have returned from Ukraine are required to pay for the tickets themselves sensibly. It can be as much as a regular ticket ( 25-30 thousand rupees ). There should be no problem in depositing the ticket money in the Government’s Social Welfare, Sainik Welfare Fund. For that necessary inquiries can be made in that department attached to the central government. There has been an immediate helping hand from the motherland itself during the difficult time ahead us. Keeping this in mind, it becomes a duty to donate your ticket money to such fund. The cost of bringing about 20,000 Indians to India by air is huge.

 
— Jayesh Rane, Mumbai

SUICIDE BY OPPOSITION?

AMIDST conflicting claims that all parties would perform better in the Goa Assembly polls held on February 14, 2022 and specially taking into consideration that there has been the anti-incumbency factor, as well as party hopping by candidates, predicting winners will be a difficult task. However, with the opposition having split their votes, the likeliest equation would be that the margin of victory in almost the constituencies will be very slim, of the order of 1,000 to 2,000 votes.

In such a scenario the verdict for the assembly polls could throw up many surprises. But the fact remains that the Opposition, which had a distinct possibility of winning, have actually committed political suicide by not resorting to pre-poll alliances that would have ensured victory.

A distinct possibility may still emerge wherein if the BJP does not get a complete majority, the Opposition could cobble up a government of post-poll alliance. March 10 will determine the exact outcome!–Stephen Dias, Dona Paula