Noting that main bhi aansoo ro rahan hoon (I too shed tears), Chief Justice of India T.S. Thakur said on Friday that the Supreme Court could not be expected to pass orders on every issue bothering the country and create a Ram rajya.
Chief Justice Thakur, who had once candidly admitted to be of an “emotional” temperament, was ticking off a public interest litigation petitioner who wanted the court to direct the authorities to clear encroachments from footpaths nationwide.
“I shed tears of blood seeing the plight of this country… Footpaths all over the country are taken over… Billions of rupees are spent on the salaries of officials and the police who do nothing,” Dhanesh Ishdhan said, arguing in person for his NGO Voice of India.
The Bench, including Justices A.M. Khanwilkar and D.Y. Chandrachud, found the petition too improbable. Chief Justice Thakur initially asked the court security personnel to remove the petitioner from the courtroom. Yet, the petitioner continued to argue, raising his voice. “Citizens’ fundamental rights are at stake. You are here to protect our fundamental rights… If you cannot do that, what is the point of having fundamental rights under the Constitution? Go ahead and strike them off,” he told the Bench. To this, the Chief Justice reasoned that everything could not be done by the judiciary.
(Sourced from agencies, Feature image courtesy:economictimes.indiatimes.com)
