Kaleeswaram Raj and Josy Joseph at MBIFL 2020
Thiruvananthapuram: Supreme Court lawyer Kaleeswaram Raj said that judicial activism is missing nowadays.
He was interacting with investigative journalist Josy Joseph on the topic ‘Andha Neethiyo Anthaka Neethiyo’ at Mathrubhumi International Festival of Leters (MBIFL) 2020.
Kaleeswaram Raj opined that the Supreme Court was failing to take action regarding several matters and that its judges were even afraid of opposing.
“India’s Supreme Court is considered one of the best apex courts in the world. However, contradictory verdicts given in similar cases have led to people questioning the transparency and unbiased nature of the apex court,” he added.
Answering a question from the audience, Kaleeswaram Raj said that peaceful protests were the answer to contradicting verdicts and the lack of judicial activism by the apex court. Kaleeswaram Raj said that the collegium system of SC was not transparent compared to other countries in the world.
Answering another question Kaleeswaram Raj felt that that arbitrariness coupled with lack of action from High Courts have led to anarchy in subordinate courts.
Citing several examples from Indian and world history, Kaleeswaram Raj said that strong protests from people have led to the legislature repealing several laws which were passed by the judiciary.
