Best of BS Opinion: Banking, economy, and justice face mounting strain

Here are the best of Business Standard's opinion pieces for today

It started with a small leak. A crack in the neighbourhood’s boundary wall after last week’s heavy rains. At first, nothing alarming — just a tiny trickle. But then, a few days later, the wall ballooned slightly, almost like a bulge from the unseen pressure building beneath. By the weekend, a section gave way, and the water rushed in, flooding the whole house. What seemed manageable had turned into an urgent problem overnight. Today’s story may sound similar in that the pressure is rising, and the structures holding it back may not be as sturdy as they seem. Let’s dive in. 

 

At IndusInd Bank, the financial levee showed signs of stress when the Reserve Bank of India reappointed CEO Sumant Kathpalia for only a year, despite a board request for three. This was followed by a shock ₹1,600-crore provision after accounting discrepancies in derivatives trading emerged. The market reacted sharply, eroding over a quarter of the bank’s stock value in a single day. So, when did the cracks first appear, and why were they ignored? Read our first editorial for more. 

March 24 marks five years since India’s Covid-19 lockdown — a moment of extreme pressure that forced hurried action. The pandemic exposed deep structural weaknesses. Emergency measures like free food distribution and state borrowing helped hold back the worst of the economic flood, but gaps remain, highlights our second editorial. Next time, will India have a stronger wall — or will we find ourselves scrambling once again? 

India’s Finance Ministry, too, faces a rising tide. KP Krishnan highlights how its current structure, fragmented across six departments, struggles to coordinate policy effectively. Global trends favour unified financial regulation, yet India remains stuck in departmental silos, where inefficiencies pool like trapped floodwaters.  

Infrastructure, too, feels the strain. Vinayak Chatterjee notes that as India’s ₹168.93 trillion National Infrastructure Pipeline nears its March 2025 deadline, only ₹31.1 trillion has been fully utilised. The next phase of planning will be crucial: will the NIP’s ambitions build a seawall strong enough to withstand economic uncertainties? 

And then, there’s the judiciary — where delays stretch like waterlogged roads. As Neha Bhatt reviews in Tareekh Pe Justice:Reforms for India’s District Courts by Prashant Reddy T. and Chitrakshi Jain, institutional inefficiencies, not just a lack of resources, keep 50 million cases stuck in limbo. The book suggests radical reforms, from independent oversight commissions to rethinking the judiciary’s constitutional structure itself. 

Stay tuned, and remember, the structure holds—for now, but the water keeps rising!