"Bogey About Will Of People": Former Judge On Government Vs Judiciary
NDTV
"Such statements undermine the independence and strength of the judiciary," Justice Deepak Gupta said
Union law minister Kiren Rijiju's argument today that judges are not answerable to people the way elected representatives are, was brushed aside by Justice Deepak Gupta, retired judge of the Supreme Court. Such statements undermine the independence and strength of the judiciary," he told NDTV in an exclusive interview. The current system, he added, exists because it was the one envisaged by the fathers of the constitution.
"That is the way we have chosen in our constitution for our judiciary to be. Unlike the American judiciary where at the district level, a lot of people are elected," he said.
Amid the government versus judiciary debate, Mr Rijiju has again underscored that while judges are not elected and are not under public scrutiny, their judgments are being watched and assessed by the people, who, he added, now have a voice thanks to social media.
Justice Gupta pointed out that the Supreme Court Collegium, which appoints judges -- a process in which the government wants a bigger role -- is never an election issue. Moreover, in most countries judges are not elected for the highest courts, he said.
