Denting democracy

India is heading for judicial authoritarianism as the system of checks and balances has gone askew

The ongoing verbal war between the executive and the judiciary over the appointment of judges is unfortunate, but if any blame is to be apportioned, the latter must take the lion’s share of it. The judiciary has arrogated powers to itself that were not mandated in the Constitution, and this lies at the core of the conflict.

A week ago, a Bench headed by Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul expressed anguish at the government sitting on the Collegium’s recommendations for fresh appointments. He said the executive may be peeved over the court’s decision to overturn the National Judicial Appointments Commission in 2015,