After all, CJI DY Chandrachud has told whether there is pressure from the government while taking a decision or not?
Chief Justice of India (CJI) DY Chandrachud on Saturday said that in his 23-year-long career as a judge, he never faced any pressure. Speaking at the India Today Conclave, the CJI said that any such pressure is only in the direction of taking the right decision while judging the cases.
The CJI said, “By the end of this month, I will complete 23 years as a judge. I will be completing 23 years as a judge in the High Court and Supreme Court. No one ever told me how to decide a case. We never even ask our associate judge what is happening in the cases he is hearing. We have coffee together, have lunch but we have drawn a clear line for ourselves. This is part of our training.”
DY Chandrachud further said, “There is no pressure from the executive on me. But our mind is under pressure. There is pressure on the mind. There is pressure to find the right solution. We know that the decisions we make have an impact not just today, but tomorrow as well, so there is pressure to have the right solution. This is the search for truth.”
CJI explained his point by example
To prove that there is no government pressure on the judiciary, the CJI cited the case of the appointment of election commissioners. He said, “The question of pressure does not arise. Saw the judgment of the Election Commission, if there was pressure, this judgment would have come? We live in an age where we have become distrustful of public institutions. This is not an issue at all. We are constantly holding the government accountable.”
Clear jurisdiction
When CJI DY was asked whether there is no pressure from the government even in some special cases? In response to this question, explaining the jurisdiction of the executive, judiciary and legislature, the CJI said, “There is no question of pressure. The separation of power between the legislature, executive and judiciary is clear in our constitution. Everyone has their own jurisdiction.”
