From Our Bureau
NEW DELHI: Chief Justice of India N.V. Ramana on Saturday decried the government-opposition relationship that used to be healthier in the past has become acrimonious and the space for the Opposition is increasingly diminishing.
“Strengthening parliamentary democracy demands strengthening the opposition as well,” he said. Instead of engaging in meaningful debates for furthering democracy, CJI Ramana said, “politics has become acrimonious.”
“Accountability”, Justice Ramana said, “forms the core principle of democracy. I have, on several occasions, highlighted the significance of parliamentary debates and parliamentary committees. In fact, I used to look forward to the legislative debates.”
The Chief Justice said, “We are witnessing laws being passed without detailed deliberation and scrutiny. In the absence of a thorough debate involving all the sides of the House, and as a judge at times I wonder as to how does one trace the legislative intent behind the enactments.”
Observing that parliamentary democracy was not a rule by majority, CJI Ramana said, “The framers decided to opt for a representative democracy. A representative democracy is about effective representation. It is where the minority is not overwhelmed by the majority. Parliamentary Democracy was a way to preserve our plurality, the multitude of our identities and to have a future built on consensus.”
