Our Supreme Court stepped in a bit too late in the current COVID crisis. For reasons best known to Sharad Arvind Bobde who retired as Chief Justice of India (CJI) last month he chose to remain a passive spectator as the current pandemic was evolving into a full blown national disaster. He is now answerable only to God.
When a government of the day fails or falters, the Judiciary must swiftly and decisively step in, but Justice Bobde miserably abdicated this bounden responsibility to timely intervene which may have prevented this calamity from ebbing to the current devastating state of affairs. Many lives could have been possibly saved. Today we are in a horrifying situation across the country which is partly on account of the failure of the authorities to work in coordination in dealing with the pandemic. Across the states no preventive measures were taken to prevent the spread while there were violations galore of the laid down norms. Now that the Supreme Court is seriously seized of the matter, the government has to explain and justify the steps being taken to combat the virus and measures to save the lives of people who are dying also due to lack of oxygen and other medical facilities. CJI S.A. Bobde retired after a controversial tenure alike his two predecessors Ranjan Gogoi and Dipak Misra. The nation looks forward that our new Chief Justice N.V. Ramana will take radical and remedial measures to uplift the Judiciary whose Independence over the last few years has been undoubtedly severely dented. Out Constitution is very clear on distinct roles of the Executive, Legislature and Judiciary. It envisages a free, fair and independent Judiciary. The highest standards of judicial independence must be ensured by warding off even the faintest trace of governmental influence on the judiciary. The Judiciary will now have to reassert itself very firmly against the Government’s acts of omission and commission. The BJP while in the Opposition had demanded that judges must not be given post-retirement appointments at least for two years but once in Power have miserably failed to walk that talk. It was a black day in 2014 when the BJP appointed P. Sathasivam as Governor of Kerala within just four months of his retirement as Chief Justice sending out a very wrong message. More recently Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi within four months after retirement was nominated member of the Rajya Sabha and had claimed he would be the voice of Judiciary in the Upper House of Parliament. Could he please enlighten us as to what over the last more than one year has been his contribution in the Rajya Sabha towards raising issues pertaining to the Judiciary? Aires Rodrigues Advocate High Court C/G-2, Shopping Complex Ribandar Retreat, Ribandar – Goa – 403006 Mobile No: 9822684372 Office Tel No: (0832) 2444012 Email: airesrodrigu...@gmail.com Or airesrodrig...@yahoo.com You can also reach me on Facebook.com/ AiresRodrigues Twitter@rodrigues_aires www.airesrodrigues.com