Apropos of 'Encounter model taints khaki'; there is growing acceptance of police encounters as a tool for crime control. While governments may project such actions as swift justice, they undermine the very foundations of the rule of law.

The criminal justice system assigns distinct roles to the police, prosecutors, judiciary and prison authorities. Allowing the police to act as all-in-one violates constitutional principles. Popular support for instant justice may stem from frustration with delayed court proceedings, but the solution lies in judicial reforms, faster trials and independent investigations, not extra-judicial methods. Shortcuts may appear effective in the short term, but they weaken institutions and endanger citizens' rights in the long run.

Vandana, Chandigarh

Pillars of justice not strong enough

Refer to 'Encounter model taints khaki'; the writer has suggested the involvement of all four pillars of the criminal justice system - police, prosecution, judiciary and prisons. But all the pillars are not strong enough to bear the burden of delivering speedy and fair justice. The conviction rate in public prosecution cases in some states is even less than 10%. Private eyewitnesses are often compromised, while police witnesses fail to appear during trials. Over 5.5 crore criminal cases are currently pending in Indian courts. Undertrials constituting 75% of jail inmates, continue to languish in prisons for years due to delayed trials.

Rajesh Goyal, Chandigarh

Learn to respect diversity

Refer to 'Race, religion, immigration & a killing in Britain'; social harmony among natives and settlers in any country must be maintained in a friendly ambience. Henry Nowak's case should be treated as an aberration and not as a chronic social phenomenon. It is something ingrained in human consciousness against the "others" who don't share ethnic features, colour, culinary habits and language with natives. No amount of logic or persuasion is enough to obliterate primordial biases and prejudices. We may try our best to eat, dress and speak Queen's English, the Britons are born with their own reservations about people from the third world.

Raj Bahadur Yadav, Fatehabad

Countering the heat crisis

Refer to 'Sustainable cooling is the need of the hour'; climate change is no longer a future threat, but a current reality. There is a widening gap between those who can escape the heat and those who cannot. Climate resilience cannot be built solely through temperature records and warnings, it requires investment in housing, public cooling infrastructure and reliable power supply. Extreme heat is not an occasional seasonal inconvenience now, it has become a structural challenge.