Prasad hits out at ‘populist elements’ for attempting to influence rulings

NEW DELHI: Union law minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said on Saturday that populist elements in India and globally were mounting campaigns against the judiciary to try and influence court verdicts, describing it as a sinister and dangerous trend that should be reined in to ensure that the independence of judges is not compromised and that the rule of law is maintained.

Prasad said such populist elements seek accountability from the courts on how cases should be decided and unleash “all the forces of criticism” if the judgments do not go according to their expectations. Such populism violates well-settled constitutional principles, he said at the International Judicial Conference organized by the Supreme Court.

“I appreciate criticism of judgments of the court. But some kind of norm has to be maintained if our rule of law has to acquire continued resonance,” Prasad said, without citing any examples.

He hinted at the criticism and scrutiny of the judiciary on social media, underscoring the need to ensure complete independence of judges so they can deliver verdicts in line with the rule of law.

“What is challenging is now populism is seeking to have greater accountability... I am a great supporter of social media, of freedom... But this is a dangerous trend. Judges must be left independent to give judgments as to what they think is correct mode in accordance with rule of law.”

The law minister broached the subject of privacy in the digital era. Although the right to privacy has been declared a fundamental right by the 2017 Supreme Court verdict (Justice KS Puttaswamy v. Union of India), the court itself has said that the right is not available to terrorists and the corrupt, he noted. “The Supreme Court judgment has become a beacon globally... But our courts have also stated that terrorists and corrupt have no right to privacy,” Prasad said.