{"id":46562,"date":"2025-05-07T09:30:44","date_gmt":"2025-05-07T04:00:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/?p=46562"},"modified":"2025-05-17T23:26:52","modified_gmt":"2025-05-17T17:56:52","slug":"the-doctrine-of-separation-of-powers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/the-doctrine-of-separation-of-powers\/","title":{"rendered":"Judiciary vs. Executive: Analysing the Vice-President\u2019s Comments on Judicial Overreach"},"content":{"rendered":"<h2>What\u2019s in Today\u2019s Article?<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>The Doctrine of Separation of Power Latest News<\/li>\n<li>Key Constitutional Principles<\/li>\n<li>Dissecting the Vice-President\u2019s Remarks<\/li>\n<li>Judicial Accountability Mechanisms<\/li>\n<li>Interplay Between Judicial Independence, Popular Sovereignty, and Judicial Activism<\/li>\n<li>Conclusion<\/li>\n<li>The Doctrine of Separation of Power FAQs<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>The Doctrine of Separation of Power Latest News<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>Recent comments by Vice-President Jagdeep Dhankhar have stirred a constitutional and political debate regarding the<strong> role and powers of the judiciary vis-\u00e0-vis the executive<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<li>Concerns arise from his remarks calling judges a &#8220;<strong>super parliament<\/strong>&#8220;, questioning their power to direct the President, and asserting <strong>judges are not accountable<\/strong> under the law.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Key Constitutional Principles<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Separation of powers:<\/strong>\n<ul>\n<li>The doctrine of separation of powers is a <strong>cornerstone <\/strong>of the Indian Constitution.<\/li>\n<li>It ensures that the <strong>three organs<\/strong> &#8211; Legislature, Executive, and Judiciary &#8211; <strong>function independently<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Any overreach <\/strong>by one organ into another&#8217;s domain <strong>undermines constitutional governance<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<li>Even the i<strong>ndependence of the judiciary <\/strong>is fully secured because of the principle of separation of powers [L. Chandra Kumar versus Union of India (1997)].\u00a0<\/li>\n<li>If at any time judges try to exercise their powers arbitrarily, it shall be a gross violation of <strong>Article 50 of DPSP,<\/strong> and the government may initiate a process for a removal of the judge concerned.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><strong>Supremacy of the Constitution:<\/strong>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>The rule of law<\/strong> and the supremacy of the Constitution are <strong>foundational doctrines<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<li>Even the President, Governors, and judiciary are bound by constitutional provisions.<\/li>\n<li><strong>No authority is beyond scrutiny<\/strong> if it violates constitutional boundaries.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Dissecting the Vice-President\u2019s Remarks<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>The &#8216;super parliament&#8217; comment:<\/strong>\n<ul>\n<li>The term &#8220;super parliament&#8221; is misleading and <strong>constitutionally unsound<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<li>Parliament, as a body elected by the people, holds legislative power &#8211; but this <strong>does not mean<\/strong> that the <strong>judiciary\u2019s constitutional review <\/strong>powers <strong>encroach <\/strong>upon Parliament&#8217;s supremacy.<\/li>\n<li>The judiciary acts as a <strong>guardian <\/strong>of the Constitution, ensuring no law violates constitutional limits.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><strong>Judiciary&#8217;s role regarding Presidential assent:<\/strong>\n<ul>\n<li>The President of India, under <strong>Article 52<\/strong>, is the constitutional head and must act on the aid and advice of the Council of Ministers (<strong>Articles 74, 78<\/strong>).<\/li>\n<li>S\/he is elected according to the provisions contained in <strong>Articles 54 and 55<\/strong> establishing <strong>India as a Republic<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<li>If there is <strong>undue delay<\/strong> in granting assent to a bill, the <strong>judiciary can intervene<\/strong> to protect <strong>popular sovereignty.<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Judicial Accountability Mechanisms<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Constitutional limits on judicial power:<\/strong><\/li>\n<li>All judicial powers stem from the Constitution and must be <strong>exercised within its limits.<\/strong><\/li>\n<li>Judges can be <strong>removed <\/strong>only on grounds of &#8220;<strong>proved misbehaviour<\/strong>&#8220;, which includes <strong>violation of the Constitution<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Parliament&#8217;s role:<\/strong><\/li>\n<li>Parliament holds the power to <strong>enact laws that can alter or overrule judicial decisions<\/strong>, provided it follows constitutional procedure.<\/li>\n<li>This reflects the <strong>democratic principle of checks and balances<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Interplay Between Judicial Independence, Popular Sovereignty, and Judicial Activism<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Judicial independence:<\/strong>\n<ul>\n<li>Vital for upholding the <strong>basic structure doctrine<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Shielded from arbitrary<\/strong> executive or legislative interference.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><strong>Popular sovereignty: <\/strong>The judiciary\u2019s actions, such as setting deadlines for the President or Governor to assent bills, aim to <strong>uphold public interest and constitutional compliance<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Article 142 and judicial activism:<\/strong>\n<ul>\n<li>Empowers the Supreme Court to pass orders for <strong>complete justice.<\/strong><\/li>\n<li>Such provisions underscore the Court&#8217;s role in <strong>filling legislative or executive voids <\/strong>when constitutional mechanisms are silent.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Conclusion<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>The constitutional authorities, particularly those in high office,<strong> must speak responsibly<\/strong>.\u00a0<\/li>\n<li>The statement given by the VP that the law of the land does not apply to judges is <strong>not at all rational<\/strong> because he himself, as the second highest constitutional authority, questions the rule of law in India.<\/li>\n<li>Therefore, it is necessary to <strong>uphold the judiciary&#8217;s constitutional role<\/strong> and emphasize that the rule of law, accountability, and constitutional supremacy are the guiding lights of Indian democracy.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>The Doctrine of Separation of Power FAQs<\/h2>\n<p><strong>Q1.<\/strong> What is the constitutional implication of calling the judiciary a \u2018super parliament\u2019?<\/p>\n<p><strong>Ans. <\/strong>Calling the judiciary a \u2018super parliament\u2019 is constitutionally misleading, as the judiciary functions within the doctrine of separation of powers and cannot override the will of the people represented through Parliament.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Q2.<\/strong> How does the Constitution ensure judicial accountability in India?<\/p>\n<p><strong>Ans.<\/strong> Judicial accountability is ensured through constitutional provisions allowing removal of judges on grounds of proved misbehaviour, including violation of the Constitution.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Q3. <\/strong>Can the judiciary set deadlines for the President or Governors regarding assent to bills? Justify.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Ans.<\/strong> Yes, the judiciary can set deadlines as undue delay in granting assent undermines popular sovereignty, and such directions ensure adherence to constitutional mandates.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Q4.<\/strong> Why is the statement that \u201claw of the land does not apply to judges\u201d constitutionally incorrect?<\/p>\n<p><strong>Ans.<\/strong> It is incorrect because all judicial powers are derived from the Constitution, and judges are bound by its provisions under the doctrine of constitutional supremacy.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Q5.<\/strong> How does Article 142 empower the Supreme Court in maintaining constitutional governance?<\/p>\n<p><strong>Ans.<\/strong> Article 142 empowers the Supreme Court to pass any order necessary to do complete justice, especially when constitutional provisions or laws are silent on a matter.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Source: <\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thehindu.com\/news\/national\/how-the-judiciary-maintains-accountability\/article69546474.ece\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">TH<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Recent comments by Vice-President Jagdeep Dhankhar have stirred a constitutional and political debate regarding the role and powers of the judiciary vis-\u00e0-vis the executive.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":46563,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-46562","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\/46562","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=46562"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/46562\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/46563"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=46562"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=46562"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=46562"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}