India’s judiciary has been embroiled in one controversy after another, all involving allegations of corruption and nepotism of some of the senior judges in the country. It is not a matter of mere unpleasant coincidence that some of the suspected judges have served as Chief Justices. There is a petition, pending before the Supreme Court, on the question of allegations of corruption against former Chief Justices of India.
The public anger in India today is against those who pose hindrances for bringing transparency and accountability in public service and into institutions that the ordinary person depends upon as the last resort in his pursuit for ju stice.
It is the very essence of the ability of the country’s democratic institutions, and thus that of the country itself, that has been challenged.
In the present environment one cannot find fault with those who have started believing that the country’s judiciary gives tacit approval to corruption and nepotism in favour of those who wield power.
It is time to stop the muffled and reined discussion on the subject and open it up for a larger debate, inviting everyone who is concerned about the integrity of the country’s judiciary to participate and suggest means by which the lost confidence in the justice system of the country can be salvaged from the abyss into which it is plummeting rapidly. Time has just started and every stakeholder needs to have a say so that system is cleaned up for once and all.