Refusing to accept the Supreme Court as an opposition party in Parliament, CJI DY Chandrachud said, on Saturday that the Supreme Court should continue as the people’s court. Addressing the inaugural SCAORA Conclave held in South Goa today, CJI said the judiciary exists for the public and to dispense justice, but it does not mean that the judiciary has to become an opposition to the legislative body.
Asserting that being a people’s court does not mean that we assume the role of the opposition in the Parliament, CJI Chandrachud said. He noted that the Supreme Court’s role should be understood in its true essence: as an independent institution responsible for protecting justice. Criticisms about legal flaws or mistakes may hold, but that is not how the Court should be evaluated, using the success and failure of contentious cases or the results of its work depending on political preferences.
CJI Chandrachud also spoke about increased public criticism of the judicial process, stating that people praise the Court when the latter decides according to the wishes of society but criticize it when the decision seems to go against the grain. In today’s generation, there is a purely positive or purely negative attitude; the CJI observed that ‘when the Supreme Court gives a favorable judgment, the apex court is appreciated. Otherwise, it is criticized or even given a bad name. This, he said, should be the course that the judiciary and the legal fraternity should pursue regardless of the social pressure exerted on the same or any political inclination.
Further, he emphasized on the role of the judiciary head and said that they should insist on being impartial, thus forcing them not to bow to pressure from the public or form particular political affiliations. The Chief Justice also pointed out the imperative to keep on and extend access to justice, a concept which has been created over the last seventy-five years.
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