ACCORDING TO PEOPLE'S DAILY, over the past nine months, 149 disputes have occurred in which elderly people who received assistance from passers-by have accused their helpers of being the cause of their falls. In 84 cases, video footage from surveillance cameras proved the helpers were innocent. However, none of those making false accusations received any legal punishment. Comments:

Every time such a dispute happens, the police always "mediate" between the two sides instead of conducting a proper investigation to discover the truth of what happened. They are avoiding trouble instead of defending justice. It is necessary to add more detailed specifications to the law so that the police do their duty when such incidents occur. Social justice must be defended; that's why we pay the wages of police officers.

Ying Feihu, a professor of law at Shenzhen University, Oct 17

Similar disputes happen in every society but they become a social problem in nowhere but China. The problem lies in the judiciary of China, which fails to defend the law and always asks those accused good Samaritans to prove their innocence, instead of asking the accusers to support their claim. Such practice is absurd and against the rule of law, but local judicial staff still deal with such disputes in this way because it is less hassle for them. It is time for higher judiciary to correct their wrongdoings.

Shen Bin, a Shanghai-based lawyer, Oct 18

Since in 82 cases the accused have been found innocent, why have the judicial agencies never punished those who have deliberately made false accusations? Their unreasonable tolerance of such false accusations has lowered the cost of these illegal activities and encourages more people to follow suit. We hope the judicial agencies correct their wrongdoings before social trust is totally ruined.

Southern Metropolis Daily, Oct 17