Opinion - Letters to the Editor   

Judiciary vs. legislature

The Supreme Court's directive to the Centre to submit for scrutiny the parliamentary Standing Committee's report on reservation for OBCs in Central educational institutions is uncalled for. The judiciary can only interpret the provisions of a law. It cannot make inroads into the legislative process, which is the sole responsibility of the legislature.

C.P. Chandradas,
Coimbatore

The judiciary has virtually questioned the very basis of the Government's policy. One wonders what basis, other than the ground reality, is needed to extend reservation. Judicial activism is welcome only when it is pro-needy and for justice.

N. Divakar,
Mysore

The middle class will perhaps welcome this judicial intervention. But politician bashing should not shut our eyes to reality. The Constitution, which is supreme, has provided for checks and balances among all the three organs of the state. No one organ has the absolute authority to interfere in the functioning of the other two institutions, even if the interference appears right at some point of time.

In many instances, judicial activism has ignored ground realities. The Rajkumar kidnap episode, during which the Supreme Court asked the S.M. Krishna Government in Karnataka to step down if it could not maintain law and order, is a case in point. Had the Government indeed done so, would the Supreme Court have been able to run the State in such a volatile situation? Our politicians may be far from perfect but they have to run the country under the Constitution.

P. Sankaranarayanan,
Bhubaneswar

Without going into the merits of the reservation issue, one is forced to be wary of the judiciary's intervention in the functioning of the legislature. It needs to tread more carefully while dealing with issues that affect a large segment of society. It should not cross the boundaries of the judicial domain lest the affected sections feel insecure. That will erode the judiciary's credibility. Frequent confrontations between the legislature and the judiciary will also damage our well-established democratic system of governance.

Shahabuddin Nadeem,
Bangalore

A confrontation between the legislature and the judiciary does not augur well for democracy. Members of both the institutions have sworn to uphold the Constitution, which alone is supreme. One hopes both sides will maintain and respect the firm line of demarcation of power under the Constitution and will not allow a conflict to develop between them.

K. Vijayakumar,
Bangalore

The Supreme Court and Parliament seem to be entering a tug of war on the quota for OBCs issue. To an ordinary citizen, the judiciary may inspire more confidence but the legislature is supreme under the Constitution.

Raju Thomas,
Kottayam, Kerala

The apex court's directive is unfortunate. It certainly amounts to an encroachment on the powers of Parliament.

Sharada Poldoss,
Hyderabad

For the first time, the Government will have to explain the reason for fixing the percentage of OBC quota and justify it with the population statistics. The strength of the OBC population in the country has long remained a subject of debate.

S. Hemavathi,
Hyderabad

It is clear that the Supreme Court has encroached on the powers of Parliament. But it is the politicians who are responsible for the development. They should keep the progress of all the citizens in mind, rather than play vote bank politics.

Vinod Kumar,
Palayamkottai, T.N.

All responsible citizens know that the House is supreme in matters of enacting laws. There was a time when politicians were committed to issue-based debates and deliberations on the floor of the House. But MPs today have scant respect for the written law and conventions. Add to this the politicisation of the bureaucracy and what we have is a deplorable state of polity. It is only natural for the people to regard the judiciary as the last vestige of hope. If parties want Parliament to be supreme, they should respect democratic principles and processes.

J.V.V. Murthy,
Coimbatore

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