Justice Lokur: ‘SC Not Fulfilling Its Constitutional Role Adequately, Needs to Introspect’

In the first outspoken criticism of the Supreme Court to emerge from a highly regarded former judge of the court, Justice Madan B. Lokur said he is “disappointed” by the court’s functioning during the recent COVID-19 lockdown crisis. 

“It is not fulfilling its constitutional functions adequately,” he said, adding, “The Supreme Court of India is capable of doing a good job but I think they need to introspect, they need to sit down, brainstorm and figure out how to go ahead… Certainly it should be more pro-active than it has been.”…

In an interview to Karan Thapar for The Wire…, Justice Lokur answered a range of questions covering the court’s inadequate enforcement of the right to life of migrant workers, its prioritisation of cases on the basis of which some are heard immediately and others indefinitely deferred, and the inadequate exercise of its power of judicial review over government policies and action.