The turmoil will
end only with a full, fair probe into the alleged plot to influence judges
There is absolutely no doubt that the
Chief Justice of India is the master of the roster. So, it
is impossible to dispute the legal reasoning behind Chief Justice Dipak Misra’s
ruling that no one but he can decide the composition of Benches and allocation of
judicial work in the Supreme Court. However, the circumstances in which he had
to assert this authority have the potential to greatly diminish the court’s
lustre. The scenes witnessed in the court amidst troubling allegations of
possible judicial corruption are worrisome for their capacity to undermine the
high esteem that the judiciary enjoys. Chief Justice Misra chose to stick to
the letter of the law, but there remain troublesome questions about potential
conflict of interest in his decision to overrule Justice J. Chelameswar’s
extremely unusual order that delineated the composition of a Constitution Bench
to hear a writ petition seeking a fair probe into the corruption allegations.
It is a fact that in the Prasad Education Trust case, the petitions alleging
that some individuals, including a retired Orissa High Court judge, were plotting to influence the Supreme
Court, had been heard by a Bench headed by Chief Justice Misra. However, it
would be perverse and irresponsible to attribute corrupt motives without
compelling evidence. At the same time, by heading the Bench himself, the Chief
Justice may have contributed to the perception that he will preside over a
hearing in his own cause, rather than leaving it to another set of judges to reiterate the legal position on who has the sole say in deciding the
roster.
Justice Chelameswar, the senior-most puisne judge, may have passed his order based on the
petitioner’s claim that there would be a conflict of interest were the Chief
Justice to choose the Bench. But in doing so, he chose to ignore the principle
that allocation of judicial work is the preserve of the Chief Justice. Both
justices may have found themselves in a situation in which law and strict
propriety do not converge. As for the lawyer-activists involved, it is one
thing to flag corruption, another to foster the
impression that they want to choose the judges who will hear them. The only way
to end the current turmoil in the judicial and legal fraternity is to ensure
that the Central Bureau of Investigation holds an impartial probe in the case
registered by it. The involvement of serving judges may only be a remote
possibility, but it is vital to find out whether the suspected middlemen had
any access to them. Unfortunate fallout of the controversy is the perception of
a rift among the country’s top judges. To some, the charges may represent an
attempt to undermine the judiciary. These perceptions should not result in the sidestepping of the real issue raised by the CBI’s FIR: the grim possibility of the judiciary being susceptible to corruption. Tumult and turmoil should not overshadow this substantive issue.
1. TURMOIL
<
TR /MO /IL>
[Noun]
Meaningà A state of great disturbance, confusion, or
uncertainty.
Synà Confusion
,Upheaval(s) ,Turbulence ,Disorder ,Commotion
Exampleà "The
country was in turmoil"
2. ROSTER / < ROS /TR>
[Noun]
Meaningà A list or plan showing turns of duty or leave for
individuals or groups in an
organization.
Synà Listing ,Register ,Agenda , Roll, Table
Antonymà "Division, separation"
Exampleà “Next week's duty roster"
3. REITERATE < REE /T /RATED >
[Verb]
Meaningà Say something again or a number of times, typically for emphasis
or clarity.
Synà Repeat ,Say again ,Restate ,Recapitulate ,iterate
Exampleà "She reiterated that the government would
remain steadfast in its support"
4 PUISNE .<
PU /EE /SN>
[Adjective]
Meaningà (In the UK and some other
countries) denoting a judge of a superior court inferior in rank to chief
justices.
Synà Inferior judge
Exampleà ‘Puisne judge’
5. FOSTER < FOS /TR>
[Verb]
Meaning à Encourage the development of (something,
especially something desirable).
Synà Promote ,Advance ,Stimulate ,Cultivate ,
Nurture
Exampleà "the teacher's task is to foster learning"
6. SIDESTEPPING < SIDE /STEP /PING
>
[Verb] = Gerund past participle –sidestepping
Meaning à Avoid
(someone or something) by stepping sideways.
Synà Avoid ,Evade ,Dodge ,Escape
,Circumvent ,Skirt- around
Exampleà "The sidestepped a defender and crossed the ball"
7. GRIM < GREE /M >
[Adjective]
Meaningà Very
serious or gloomy.
Exampleà "His grim expression"
Synà Forbidding
,Aloof , Distant, Stern, Uninviting
8. SUSCEPTIBLE <
S /SEP/ TEE /BL>
[Adjective]
Meaning à Likely or liable to be influenced or harmed by a particular thing.
Synà Open
to ,receptive to ,vulnerable to ,defenceless against, an easy target for.
Exampleà “Patients
with liver disease may be susceptible
to infection"
9. OVERSHADOW <OVER /SHA /DOW
>
[Verb]
Meaningà Appear more prominent or important than.
Synà Obliterate, Eclipse, Screen, Shroud, Veil,
Exampleà "His competitive nature often overshadows the other
qualities"
10. SUBSTANTIVE <SB
/STAN / TIV / >
[Adjective]
Meaningà Having a firm basis in reality and so important, meaningful, or considerable.
Exampleà "There is no substantive
evidence for the efficacy of these drugs"
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