Letter to BS: Delay in judges' appointment way of interference, says Kurien

'Nothing could be better calculated to destroy the sanctity of the Constitution than the continuance of a practice which is dead against both the letter and the spirit of the Constitution'

This refers to “Selective delay in judges' appointment way of interference: Justice Kurien” (December 1). “Times have changed” is a popular saying but the aforementioned report shows that times, indeed, have not changed. And to show how things have remained the same, I am quoting a part of the lecture delivered by eminent senior advocate, the late Nani Palkhivala during the Chimanlal Setalvad Memorial Lecture at the Bombay University in 1982.

“The dereliction of the constitutional duty was compounded by the fact that appointments were not made even up to the sanctioned strengths of permanent and additional judges. Nothing could be