THE LEAFLET BULLETIN

Supreme Court Collegium: Names of those members who supported and opposed CJI U.U. Lalit’s request for written opinions disclosed

THE?Supreme Court Collegium has unanimously decided that no further deliberations will be held with regard to the appointment of judges to the Supreme Court till the new Chief Justice of India (‘CJI’) takes over with effect from November 9. The decision comes on the heels of Union Law Minister Kiren Rijiju’s?letter?to the CJI Uday Umesh Lalit seeking the name of his successor, a month ahead of the latter’s retirement on November 8.

The Collegium?resolution?signed by CJI Lalit and Justices Dr. D.Y. Chandrachud, Sanjay Kishan Kaul, S. Abdul Nazeer and K.M. Joseph reveals that Justices Dr. Chandrachud and Nazeer had objected to the process of selection and appointment of judges by circulation.

Freebies debate highlights the limits of judicial overreach

What is the ‘freebies’ debate about?

OVER?the last few months, what the remit of political campaign promises should be has remained constant in public discourse. This increased attention for election promises is partly the result of a?public interest litigation?(‘PIL’)?filed at the Supreme Court in January by?politician and lawyer?Ashwini Kumar Upadhyay. This PIL contests the practice of promising “irrational freebies” by political parties from public funds during election campaigns and the use of public funds for the distribution of the promised freebies by the elected government.

The petition?claims?that the promise of freebies unfairly influences the electorate, and the distribution of irrational election freebies from public funds not meant for “public purpose” violates?Article 282?of the Constitution.?The next hearing in this matter is expected to come up on October 21 (based on information sourced from the official website of the Supreme Court of India).