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https://theconversation.com/india-elections-our-rule-of-law-is-under-attack-from-our-own-government-but-the-world-does-not-see-this-226889>
"On a crisp winter morning in February 2023, I meet one of my South Delhi
neighbours, a lawyer in India’s supreme court, in a local cafe. As an avid
promoter of religious minority rights, known for his commitment to the
principles of equality that were enshrined in the constitution after India
gained independence in 1947, I am taken aback by the gravity of the fears this
lawyer reveals to me over coffee. He worries not only about the future of
India’s legal system, but the country itself:
International news describes India as the world’s largest democracy – but
this democracy is rotting from within. Our rule of law is under attack from
our own government, and the world does not see this.
The lawyer’s pessimism had deepened with the recent news that the Indian
government was pushing for a more substantial role in judicial appointments to
the supreme court. Weeks earlier, it had blocked the nominations of four new
judges proposed by a “collegium” made up of India’s five most senior current
supreme court judges.
The lawyer explained how this collegium had been an important safeguard of
Indian judicial independence for the past 25 years. Now, however, the
government was claiming that, “for reasons of transparency”, it should have a
bigger say in the selection of supreme court judges. A tone of despair in his
voice, my coffee companion concluded:
This isn’t about transparency. This is yet another instance of this
government trying to erode the rule of law from within. Soon, we will be a
country run by legal mafia authoritarianism."
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
