Only judges can resolve the issues plaguing the judiciary and restore its credibility.
ON MAY 18, his last working day as a Supreme Court judge, Justice J. Chelameswar sat in court number one along with Chief Justice of India Dipak Misra. Chelameswar looked relaxed, and Misra reached out to him often for a quick discussion on the case being heard.
The scene was a perfect depiction of the camaraderie that brother judges of the apex court are known for. However, on this occasion, it was rather ironic, as Chelameswar and Misra, over the past six months, represented opposite poles in the judiciary that is beset with divisions and mistrust.
Six months ago, Chelameswar and three other senior-most judges of the Supreme Court—Ranjan Gogoi, Madan B. Lokur and Kurian Joseph—held a press conference to voice their grievances about the manner in which Misra was administrating the court. Ever since, the judiciary has been making headlines, more for the schism within and the doubts about its independence, than for its judgments. The issues raised by the four judges—the alleged selective allocation of politically sensitive cases to handpicked benches and non-finalisation of Memorandum of Procedure for appointment of judges to the higher courts—were deduced as reflecting the feeling that independence of the judiciary was under threat from a strong government at the Centre.
While the mistrust among judges is a cause for concern, the larger issue is that of external forces influencing the judiciary’s functioning, which was implied in the complaint about selective allocation of cases. There has also been a full-blown confrontation between the judiciary and the government over appointments of judges to the higher courts. To make things worse, the court became a political battlefield for the Narendra Modi government and its political opponents.
هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة July 08, 2018 من THE WEEK.
ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.
بالفعل مشترك ? تسجيل الدخول
هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة July 08, 2018 من THE WEEK.
ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.
بالفعل مشترك? تسجيل الدخول
What Will It Take To Clean Up Delhi Air?
IT IS ASKED, year after year, why Delhi’s air remains unbreathable despite several interventions to reduce pollution.
Trump and the crisis of liberalism
Although Donald Trump's election to a non-consecutive second term to the US presidency is not unprecedented—Grover Cleveland had done it in 1893—it is nevertheless a watershed moment.
Men eye the woman's purse
A couple of months ago, I chanced upon a young 20-something man at my gym walking out with a women’s sling bag.
When trees hold hands
A filmmaker explores the human-nature connect through the living root bridges
Ms Gee & Gen Z
The vibrant Anuja Chauhan and her daughter Nayantara on the generational gap in romance writing
Vikram Seth-a suitable man
Our golden boy of literature was the star attraction at the recent Shillong Literary Festival in mysterious Meghalaya.
Superman bites the dust
When my granddaughter Kim was about three, I often took her to play in a nearby park.
OLD MAN AND THE SEA
Meet G. Govinda Menon, the 102-year-old engineer who had a key role in surveying the Vizhinjam coast in the 1940s, assessing its potential for an international port
Managing volatility: smarter equity choices in uncertain markets
THE INDIAN STOCK MARKET has delivered a strong 11 per cent CAGR over the past decade, with positive returns for eight straight years.
Investing in actively managed low-volatility portfolios keeps risks at bay
AFTER A ROARING bull market over the past year, equity markets in the recent months have gone into a correction mode as FIIs go on a selling spree. Volatility has risen and investment returns are hurt.
