Letters to The Editor — April 4, 2025

Democracy is alive

The marathon debate in the Lok Sabha, on the Waqf Bill, which went on late into the night and was passed with a comfortable majority after voting, shows that India is the largest democratic country with democratic norms as a part of its soul and body, whoever is in governance (Page 1, April 3). India is a role model for all other countries as in India, it has been amply demonstrated that the power of the power of people is supreme. This is a proud moment indeed for India.

J.P. Reddy,

Nalgonda, Telangana

Disturbing

It is a sad scenario that many aspects of life in India are now assuming political colours or bias. There needs to be debating on the concerns that these subjects may raise. The change in attitude of political parties and organisations is jarring.

Jiji Panicker K.,

Anjilimoodu, Chengannur, Kerala

Judges, declaration

I write this letter as Senior Advocate, Supreme Court of India and a former Union Minister for Law and Justice. The decision made by Supreme Court judges to make information about their assets public is a welcome step towards judicial transparency and a declaration by the judges of their willingness to subject themselves to public scrutiny as far as the sources of their wealth is concerned. At a time when suggestions about judicial impropriety are becoming louder, and popular faith in the judiciary is shaken, this symbolic gesture by the judges of the nation’s highest court will help in restoring the credibility of the judicial institution. The judges of the Court presided over by the Chief Justice of India, Sanjiv Khanna, deserve full credit for living up to the high standards of probity expected of them.

Questions have been raised about the preferential treatment accorded to the judges in the matter of public declaration of their assets, as compared to Member of Parliament and Ministers, who also perform high constitutional duties but are obliged to make their assets public. By voluntarily deciding to make information about their assets public, the judges have strengthened their credentials as the nation’s final arbiters of justice, particularly because their authority is derived from their unquestionable moral and intellectual integrity.

The Justice Yashwant Varma episode has validated the proposition that significant events trigger historic changes. Opening judicial assets to public scrutiny is such a development. It is necessary, however, to ensure that the information is not abused to compromise judicial independence.

Ashwani Kumar,

New Delhi

Published - April 04, 2025 12:24 am IST