Letters: Useful advice

Judicial activism has gained a lot of ground, today. The judiciary intervenes in many actions of the Legislature and the Executive. The Prime Minister is the representative of the people; he is elected by them and for them. He is supposed to know the Constitution and does not need the Supreme Court's advice to run the country. How many medical colleges are needed? How many doctors are required? What should be the fee structure of an unaided private college? How many students should be admitted? When should the Ganges be cleaned? When should curfew be imposed or lifted? Are all these the domain of the court? In a 2011 report in The Times of India, the Supreme Court said the sky was the limit of its power. Compare this with what former Supreme Court Chief Justice Mohammad Hidayatullah said in 1970 in a TV interview: "A judge is not competent to change the law to suit a particular ideology." His advice should be useful for the judiciary at present.

K Kumar Bareilly

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