Independence of judiciary is non-negotiable: CJI

Chief Justice of India RM Lodha on Saturday expressed concern over corruption in the judiciary and emphasized that independence of the judiciary is non-negotiable.

"As things change and economy grows, corruption also grows. Don't do anything that brings corruption in judiciary," he said.

The Chief Justice of India also emphasized that corruption is eradicated in all forms in judiciary.

"There are people who play trick on judges and are prepared to tempt judges and please them. We have to ensure that corruption is eradicated in all forms in judiciary," he said.

Asserting that judiciary has inherent strength, Lodha said no effort will succeed in taking away its independence.

"Independence of judiciary leads to confidence in mind of public that it will come to their aid and rescue if any wrong is committed by the executive," he said.

He also spoke on the judicial power granted by the constitution to the Indian Supreme Court, saying, "Indian Supreme Court can not only annul the ordinary law enacted by the parliament but can also annul the amendment in the constitution by invoking basic structure doctrine."

"There is no other country in the world where the highest court is empowered to annul the parliamentary amendment to the constitution. There are many countries where the court cannot annul the parliamentary legislation, United Kingdom is one of them," said Lodha.