Opinion - Letters to the Editor

Judicial activism

This refers to the article “Judicial activism: a perspective” (April 30). I agree that there should be a debate on the issue but before that some hard facts need to be mentioned. A report titled “The Public Interest Litigation Hoax — Truth Before the Nation” authored by the undersigned and published by the PIL Watch Group has proved that the poor have not benefited from public interest litigation pleas. In fact, in some instances, the poor have lost their livelihoods. The closure of industries in Delhi is an example. The livelihood of workers was taken away without even giving them an opportunity to be heard. Their constitutional and statutory rights were blatantly violated. There is also sufficient data to prove that the pollution levels in Delhi have gone up after the introduction of CNG buses.

Shobha Aggarwal,

New Delhi

The article beautifully contrasts the two judgments in the U.S. for and against the blacks to show how sometimes the philosophy of the judge affects the verdict but it is soon set right when the situation changes. Nearer home, the exclusion of the creamy layer among the OBCs from the purview of reservation is an example of judicial activism. But the court has only done what is good for society in the long run. The aberrations of the other two organs of the state are set right by the judiciary.

K. Panchapagesan,

New Jersey

© Copyright 2000 - 2009 The Hindu