Judicial independence is cornerstone of Constitution: Justice (retired) Sodhi

Justice (retired) R S Sodhi on Saturday said that judicial independence is the cornerstone of the Constitution.

Justice (retired) Sodhi, who was commenting on Chief Justice of India R M Lodha's remark that the independence of the judiciary is non-negotiable, said: "The society is judged by its rule of law and rule of law can never be upheld unless you have an independent judiciary to do so."

"Chief Justice of India talks about corruption being the root cause of degradation I would like to say that the corruption in the judiciary must be stamped out immediately, it is a zero tolerance zone and must not be compromised," he added.

He further said, "If you do not want independence of the judiciary to be compromised you must also not compromise on the purity of the judiciary as both go hand in hand."

The Chief Justice of India earlier in the day expressed concern over corruption in the judiciary and emphasized that independence of the judiciary is non-negotiable.