Letter to BS: Spike in PILs a wake-up call for legislature, executive

Apropos the column “PIL spike in corona times” (June 24), the concerns expressed by the author should be a wake-up call for the first two pillars of our democracy — the legislature and executive. One of the prime reasons why the number of public interest litigations or PILs have gone up during this trying time is the failure of our federal structure, in which the states are at odds with the Centre with the need for an umpire — the judiciary. While the states expect they be respected as fe­deral units, the Centre behaves as if it is a unitary government. Further, the deluge of information in the public domain is leading to de­mand for transparency. By abjuring the path of consultation and discu­ssion, the Centre is fa­iling to command respect, leading to intervention by an adventurist judiciary. The problem is further exacerbated by the legislative in­competence and executive malfeasance. The public, by placing excessive reliance on the wisdom of the judges, is surrendering its right to be ruled by an elected government.

Ganga Narayan Rath  Hyderabad

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