Judiciary intervenes only when executive fails in its constitutional duties: CJI T S Thakur

Rejecting Modi government’s charge of judicial overreach, Chief Justice of India T S Thakur has said that judiciary intervenes only when the executive fails in its constitutional duties.

The CJI also said, “the government should do its job instead of hurling accusations and that the people turn to the courts only after they are let down by the executive.”

“The courts only fulfil their constitutional duty and the need would not arise if governments do their job,” the CJI was quoted as saying in an interview to ETV News Network.

Amidst the tug of war between the executive and the judiciary, the CJI has said that if there is neglect and failure on part of government agencies, judiciary will “definitely” play its role, the network said in a release.

“We only fulfil our duties as laid down by the Constitution. If the governments do their job better, any need of interference would not arise,” Thakur said when asked about a recent statement by Finance Minister Arun Jaitley regarding alleged judicial interference in executive functions.

Dealing with the huge vacancies in judiciary, Justice Thakur said, “I have requested the Prime Minister on several occasions and am sending a report on the same issue to the Centre too.”