Thankfully, nothing’s been confirmed. And frankly, the last time I put my finger out in the breeze, there wasn’t much of a flutter from the story, let alone a flurry of protests outside Jantar Mantar — barring, that is, a strong front-page piece in the Pioneer (which professionally hates the Congress-led UPA anyway) last Sunday by former Attorney General Soli Sorabjee.
The government will seek a national consensus on bringing about judicial reforms, Union Law and Justice Minister M. Veerappa Moily said on Thursday. It would take a couple of months to set the ball rolling.
In Republic, Plato describes the perfect society, with a guardian class protecting the City. But who, it is asked, will “guard the guards?” That is the very question that those calling for judicial accountability ask. India’s higher judiciary, by most accounts the world’s most powerful, is entrusted with guarding India’s founding document, often from elected authority.
The bill drafted by the law ministry for disclosure of assets by judges has little to do with judicial accountability.
It’s been more than six months since Parliament increased the strength of judges in the Supreme Court from 25 to 30 but the process for appointment of new judges has been held up due to lack of houses for them.
Justice KS Radhakrishnan, Chief Justice of Gujarat High Court on Sunday said many appointments in the judiciary end up being political.
Chief Justice of India K G BALAKRISHNAN on Saturday said the judiciary has no objection if the government brings a law making it mandatory for members of the higher judiciary to declare their assets but only if there are adequate safeguards to ensure that it didn’t lead to harassment of judges.
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Chief Justice of India K G Balakrishnan said that no minister had called up Madras High Court judge R Reghupathy. A controversy had erupted following a reported disclosure by the judge that a Union minister had tried to influence him in a case.
Chief Justice of India KG Balakrishnan on Thursday said there was no need put the assets of judges in public domain as it would send a "wrong message" to litigants.