Justice J. Chelameswar, who had led three other senior judges against the Chief Justice of India on the issue of allotment of sensitive cases, on Monday called for an independent judiciary, saying it was necessary for a liberal democracy.
“For the survival of a liberal democracy, an impartial and independent judiciary is essential,” he said, at the release of a book Supreme Court of India: The Beginnings , authored by late Prof. George H. Gadbois, Jr.
Justice Chelameswar said that for the welfare of the country, a constant examination was required on how exactly the judiciary was functioning, “what are its achievements, or how to improve the institution.”
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He said only 10 crore people were in direct contact with the judiciary, of the 1.3 billion population. But the decisions made by the Supreme Court, “some way or the other, touch the lives of the population of this country.”
Justice Chelameswar said that though the backlog of cases in various courts appeared “almost impossible to clear, a solution must be found.” “A solution must be found if the institution is to remain relevant,” he said.