India News | Judiciary Cannot Be Controlled, or else 'rule of Law' Will Become Illusory: CJI
Get latest articles and stories on India at LatestLY. The Chief Justice of India, N V Ramana, on Wednesday asserted that the judiciary has to have "complete freedom" and cannot be controlled, directly or indirectly, by the legislature or the executive, or else the 'rule of law' would become illusory.
New Delhi, Jun 30 (PTI) The Chief Justice of India, N V Ramana, on Wednesday asserted that the judiciary has to have "complete freedom" and cannot be controlled, directly or indirectly, by the legislature or the executive, or else the 'rule of law' would become illusory.
At the same time, judges should not be swayed by the emotional pitch of public opinion which is getting amplified through social media platforms, the CJI said, adding that it is imperative to start a discourse as to how social media trends can affect the institution.
Ramana made the observations while delivering the '17th Justice P. D. Desai Memorial Lecture'.
“For the judiciary to apply checks on governmental power and action, it has to have complete freedom. The judiciary cannot be controlled, directly or indirectly, by the legislature or the executive, or else the rule of law would become illusory.
“At the same time, judges should not be swayed by the emotional pitch of public opinion either, which is getting amplified through social media platforms,” the CJI said.
He added that the judges have to be mindful of the fact that the noise thus amplified is not necessarily reflective of what is right and what the majority believes in.
“The new media tools that have enormous amplifying ability are incapable of distinguishing between right and wrong, good and bad and the real and fake. Therefore, media trials cannot be a guiding factor in deciding cases.
“It is therefore extremely vital to function independently and withstand all external aids and pressures. While there is a lot discussion about the pressure from the executive, it is also imperative to start a discourse as to how social media trends can affect the institutions,” he added.
(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)