Check and balance

The new CJI must restore the standing of the SC

The tenures of three chief justices preceding N V Ramana, who took charge on April 24, had not done much to improve the Supreme Court’s standing in discharging its constitutional role as an independent check and balance to executive power. Correcting this would be Justice Ramana’s chief responsibility, and it will be no small challenge, given that he has only an 18-month tenure in which to do so. His predecessor’s legacy has made his task tougher. It is striking that while displaying extraordinary vigour in pursuing a contempt case against lawyer Prashant Bhushan, the Supreme Court did not address even