[IAC#RG] SHOULD CHIEF JUSTICE INTERACT WITH THE MEDIA ?

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India Against Corruption

         SHOULD  CHIEF  JUSTICE  INTERACT  WITH  THE  MEDIA ?

The new Chief Justice of India  has thought it fit  to give interview to  TV media.   Those who believe that judges should have a code of conduct  and keep themselves away from  media glare and  public meetings would be disappointed  about  this .

 In the earlier days, when our country  had much  superior  public standards , sitting judges  even at  lower courts scrupulously avoided such interactions ,  so that  their personal views  would not be aired and would not become a subject of debate.  Judges   should not only be neutral  but should also appear to be so.  Since they have to give judgements on variety of subjects,  if they would participate in such public  discourse, they may be suspected to be having prejudiced  and pre conceived  views while  delivering their judgements on any matter.

Today, many people believe , rightly or wrongly,  that  judiciary can alone ensure fairness and public probity and they expect judges to do so.  In such circumstances,  judges have huge responsibility and should be able to stand up to the expectations of the nation.

In the earlier days,  some judges  did not even attend the marriage  of niece and nephew .  But, today  we find judges sharing  platforms with politicians who face charges in the court  and some judges  do not even hesitate to call on the Chief Minister at the office of the Chief Minister.

N.S.Venkataraman

N.S.Venkataraman