New Delhi/IBNS: Union Law Minister Kiren Rijiju, one of the key speakers in the judges row, Monday said judges do not have to contest elections or face public scrutiny but people still watch their work.
The people are watching you and judging you. Your judgments, your work process, how you dispense justice… The people can see, and assess… They form opinions, he said to great applause at an event of the Delhi Bar Association.
He also reminded his audience that with the advent of social media, people now have the power to speak.
It is not like the old days, when there was no platform and only netalog (leaders) could speak, he said.
In this context, he said the Chief Justice had sought his help about the abuse judges face on social media.
How to control that? Now, judges cannot respond to it on social media. The government was requested to take a firm step… I have taken note of it and have the solution, he added.
He said there have been many changes since 1947, so it would be wrong to think that the existing system will carry on and never be questioned.
This comes government has been seeking a larger role in the appointment of judges, arguing that the legislature is supreme since it represents the will of the people.
The Supreme Court has issued a stern reminder to the government that while parliament can make a law, it is within the courts power to scrutinise it.
