{"id":46341,"date":"2025-04-24T10:41:59","date_gmt":"2025-04-24T05:11:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/?p=46341"},"modified":"2025-05-17T21:18:17","modified_gmt":"2025-05-17T15:48:17","slug":"is-india-heading-towards-judicial-despotism","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/is-india-heading-towards-judicial-despotism\/","title":{"rendered":"Is India Heading Towards Judicial Despotism?"},"content":{"rendered":"<h2>What\u2019s in Today\u2019s Article?<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>Judicial Activism Latest News<\/li>\n<li>Introduction<\/li>\n<li>The Foundations of Judicial Review<\/li>\n<li>Article 142 and the \u201cComplete Justice\u201d Debate<\/li>\n<li>Landmark Judgments and Public Perception<\/li>\n<li>Democracy, Separation of Powers, and Judicial Boundaries<\/li>\n<li>Counter-arguments to the \u201cDespotism\u201d Charge<\/li>\n<li>Conclusion<\/li>\n<li>Judicial Activism FAQs<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Judicial Activism Latest News<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>A series of judgments in recent times has had several parties questioning the powers and motives of the Supreme Court.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Introduction<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>The Supreme Court of India, long seen as the guardian of constitutional morality and citizen rights, has lately found itself at the centre of a national debate.\u00a0<\/li>\n<li>Concerns are growing over whether recent judicial decisions reflect an era of \u201cjudicial despotism\u201d or are simply the judiciary fulfilling its role amidst increasingly complex socio-political conditions.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>The Foundations of Judicial Review<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>Although the Indian Constitution does not explicitly mention the term \u201cjudicial review,\u201d its spirit is embedded in <strong>Article 13<\/strong>. It empowers constitutional courts to invalidate laws that contradict fundamental rights.\u00a0<\/li>\n<li><strong>Articles 32 and 226<\/strong> further cement the judiciary\u2019s role in safeguarding rights, reinforcing that judicial review is an essential component of the basic structure of the Constitution.<\/li>\n<li>The concept has evolved with doctrines like <i><strong>Public Interest Litigation<\/strong><\/i> and <i><strong>locus standi<\/strong><\/i>, once meant to extend access to justice, now often accused of expanding judicial reach into legislative and executive domains.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Article 142 and the \u201cComplete Justice\u201d Debate<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>Article 142 grants the Supreme Court powers to deliver \u201ccomplete justice,\u201d used in landmark cases such as Babri Masjid, mob lynching guidelines, and irretrievable marriage breakdowns.\u00a0<\/li>\n<li>Critics argue this provision allows excessive discretion, while defenders see it as a necessary instrument for justice in exceptional circumstances.<\/li>\n<li>The Vice President\u2019s comparison of Article 142 to a \u201cnuclear missile\u201d sparked backlash, with legal scholars asserting that this provision, when judiciously applied, upholds the spirit of the Constitution.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Landmark Judgments and Public Perception<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>Several Supreme Court rulings have drawn mixed reactions, such as:\n<ul>\n<li>Upholding <strong>demonetization<\/strong>,<\/li>\n<li>Refusing to recognize <strong>same-sex marriages<\/strong>,<\/li>\n<li>Approving the <strong>Rafale deal<\/strong>,<\/li>\n<li>Validating <strong>NRC in Assam<\/strong>,<\/li>\n<li>Not intervening in the <strong>Pegasus surveillance case<\/strong>, and<\/li>\n<li>Delay in hearing petitions on <strong>CAA<\/strong> and <strong>EVMs<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li>The court has occasionally countered the government\u2019s stance, notably by striking down the <strong>Electoral Bond Scheme<\/strong> and the <strong>NJAC Act<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<li>The recent Tamil Nadu Governor case illustrated how the court can uphold federalism and democratic accountability.\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Democracy, Separation of Powers, and Judicial Boundaries<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>Elected leaders often oppose judicial review while in power but embrace it in opposition.\u00a0<\/li>\n<li>This contradiction underscores an enduring tension between <strong>Parliamentary supremacy<\/strong> and <strong>constitutional supremacy<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<li>Jawaharlal Nehru once warned against the judiciary acting as a \u201cthird chamber,\u201d while simultaneously acknowledging its role in correcting legislative missteps.<\/li>\n<li>Critics argue that unelected judges overturning laws passed by elected representatives is anti-democratic, but scholars maintain that judicial review is indispensable for protecting <strong>federal structure<\/strong>, <strong>minority rights<\/strong>, and <strong>constitutional values<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Counter-arguments to the \u201cDespotism\u201d Charge<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>The charge of judicial despotism lacks robust backing when measured against the court\u2019s restrained use of its powers.\u00a0<\/li>\n<li>The judiciary has often leaned towards the executive, not against it. Its interventions have been issue-based and grounded in constitutional mandates.\u00a0<\/li>\n<li>Instances where the court has pushed boundaries, such as in the Governor&#8217;s case, were aimed at correcting <strong>executive inaction<\/strong>, not seizing power.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Conclusion<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>The Indian judiciary remains a crucial bulwark against democratic erosion and executive excesses.\u00a0<\/li>\n<li>While concerns about judicial overreach are valid and necessary in a democracy, the current discourse must differentiate between despotism and <strong>judicial duty<\/strong>.\u00a0<\/li>\n<li>The judiciary must stay within its constitutional bounds, but it must also not shy away from upholding justice and accountability.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Judicial Activism FAQs<\/h2>\n<p><strong>Q1.<\/strong> What is the primary criticism against judicial review in India?<\/p>\n<p><strong>Ans. <\/strong>It is often considered anti-democratic as unelected judges can overturn laws passed by elected governments.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Q2. <\/strong>What does Article 142 of the Indian Constitution allow?<\/p>\n<p><strong>Ans. <\/strong>It empowers the Supreme Court to pass any order necessary for doing \u201ccomplete justice\u201d in a case.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Q3.<\/strong> Why is the Tamil Nadu Governor case significant?<\/p>\n<p><strong>Ans. <\/strong>The Supreme Court\u2019s ruling asserted that Governors cannot indefinitely delay assent to Bills passed by State Assemblies.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Q4. <\/strong>Has the Supreme Court mostly ruled against the government in recent years?<\/p>\n<p><strong>Ans. <\/strong>No, the Supreme Court has largely upheld government decisions, with a few exceptions.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Q5. <\/strong>What is the central message of the article?<\/p>\n<p><strong>Ans. <\/strong>While judicial scrutiny is essential, allegations of despotism are exaggerated and the judiciary largely operates within constitutional limits.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Source: <\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thehindu.com\/news\/national\/is-india-witnessing-judicial-despotism\/article69484106.ece\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">TH<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A recent spate of critical judgments and increased judicial scrutiny has reignited the debate over whether India is experiencing an era of judicial overreach or safeguarding its constitutional ethos.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":46342,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-46341","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-upsc-mains-current-affairs","8":"no-featured-image-padding"},"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/46341","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=46341"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/46341\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/46342"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=46341"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=46341"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=46341"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}