सुप्रीम कोर्ट के प्रमुख न्यायाधीश सूर्य कांत ने कहा: अदालतें नज़रअंदाज़ नहीं करेंगी छात्रों का शांति प्रदर्शनों का अधिकार

India'Courts will not look the other way': CJI Surya Kant backs students' right to peaceful protest

CJI Surya Kant also defends collegium secrecy and backs a proposal to compress the 5-year law degree while speaking at CNLU Patna.

Chief Justice of India Surya Kant on Saturday asserted that the judiciary was committed to "protecting" students' fundamental right to hold peaceful protests and that courts would not "look the other way" when there was an infringement.

According to a PTI report, the CJI made the statement at Chanakya National Law University (CNLU) in Patna during an "unfiltered interaction" with students, where he said he preferred a frank question-and-answer session.

According to a CNLU statement quoted by PTI, a student asked about the "police response to peaceful students' protests". The question alluded to the Jantar Mantar protests in Delhi against NEET exam paper leaks, spearheaded by the Cockroach Janata Party, which began as a satirical online campaign against a remark made by the CJI in the Supreme Court. Surya Kant later said his remarks had been reported out of context.

Responding to the question, the CJI said "courts will not look the other way" when faced with cases of alleged brutal repression by the police and "unequivocally reaffirmed the judiciary's commitment to protecting students' peaceful right to protest".

Another student asked why dissenting opinions within the collegium were recorded but never made public.

The CJI replied, "Disclosure, however well-intentioned, risks placing the individual under consideration in an untenable position."

Noting that "transparency has its limits when personal dignity is at stake", Surya Kant asked, "How can a chief justice or a judge continue to work if a negative observation about him is included in the collegium's minutes?"

According to the CNLU statement, the CJI visited the campus along with Patna High Court Chief Justice V Kameswar Rao, who is also the Chancellor of the university.

The CNLU statement said the event had significance in the light of recent opposition to the CJI in NALSAR, Hyderabad, and NLSIU, Bangalore.

The CJI also lauded as "a new, welcome idea" a proposal by CNLU Vice Chancellor and noted jurist Faizan Mustafa to compress the five-year law degree into four years of academic study and mandatory court apprenticeship in the final year.

According to the proposal, this could "eliminate the separate one-year practice requirement for judicial service examinations".

(With inputs from PTI)

The New Indian Express

www.newindianexpress.com

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