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REPORTABLE
IN THE SUPREME COURT OF INDIA
CIVIL APPELLATE JURISDICTIONCIVIL APPEAL NO. 887 OF 2009
University of Kerala ..Appellant
versus
Council, Principals', Colleges,Kerala & Others ..Respondents
WITH
S.L.P.(C) NOS.24296-24299 OF 2004S.L.P.(C) NO.14356 OF 2005
WRIT PETITION(C) NO.429 OF 2009
O R D E R
Heard learned counsel for the parties as also thelearned Solicitor General of India, Mr. Gopal Subramaniam,
who has appeared as amicus curiae.
This Appeal has been filed against the impugned
judgment of the Kerala High Court dated 24 th June, 2004 in
Writ Petition No. 30845 of 2003.
The Writ Petition was filed by the Council of
Principals of Colleges in Kerala, which is an association of
Principals of various private aided colleges in the State of
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Kerala. The main challenge in the writ petition before the
High Court was that the various universities in the State of
Kerala had issued directions by way of letters/circulars to
conduct election to the colleges' unions. The challenge in
the writ petition was to those letters/circulars.
The Kerala High Court, by the impugned order, has
allowed the writ petition and quashed those
letters/circulars directing following the presidential
system of election in the students' union election and left
it free to the colleges to follow the system of their
choice. The directions in the concluding part of the
impugned judgment is as follows:
In such circumstances the direction givenin the letters to conduct election followingthe presidential system of election cannot
be sustained and the affiliated colleges arefree to follow a system which is better forthe administration and discipline in thecolleges. The writ petitions are allowedaccordingly. The direction to conductelection following the presidential systemof election will stand set aside.
The High Court held that the impugned
circulars/letters had no statutory basis, and hence were
invalid.
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Against the aforesaid judgment, the University of
Kerala has filed this appeal by grant of special leave.
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It appears that when this matter came up before this
Court, the Court was concerned about the manner in which
students' union activities were carried on, including the
manner of election to the students' union, throughout the
country. The Court was concerned about the
politicization/criminalization in such activities. Hence,
this Court by order dated 12 th December, 2005 directed
appointment of a Committee and accordingly a Committee was
constituted by the Ministry of Human Resources and
Development, Union of India. The members of the Committee
were:
1. Mr. J.M.Lyngdoh, Retd. Chief ElectionCommissioner(Chairman).2.Dr. Zoya Hassan3.Professor Pratap Bhanu Mehta4. Dr.Daya Nand Dongaonkar (Secretary General of the
Association of Indian Universities).
Apart from the aforesaid members in the Committee,
two other members were to be nominated by the Ministry of
Human Resources and Development.
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Consequent to the directions of this Court, the
Committee headed by Mr. J.M.Lyngdoh, former Chief Election
Commissioner, went into detail into all aspects of the
matter and after having very wide consultations, including
consultations with teachers, students' unions etc.
submitted its Report dated 23 rd May, 2006 to this Court.
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This Court by a detailed order dated 22 nd September,
2006 directed implementation of the Report of the Committee
as an interim measure. By the said order, this Court
directed that the recommendations of the Committee shall be
followed in all colleges/universities elections
hereinafter, until further orders.
I am not going into the details about various
recommendations made by the Committee and we have no doubt
that many of them are wholesome. Mr. Lyngdoh is a man of
very high integrity and the whole nation is proud of him.
I have no manner of doubt that the Committee headed by him
considered the entire matter, referred to it, in great
detail. However, I have grave reservations about the
manner of implementation of the recommendations of the
Committee by passing the order dated 22.9.2006.
The question of great constitutional importance
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which has arisen is whether after getting the
recommendations of some expert body by a court order, the
Court itself can implement the said recommendations by
passing a judicial order or whether the Court can only send
it to the Legislature or its delegate to consider making a
law for implementation of these recommendations.
The aforesaid question, therefore, raises a great
constitutional question about judicial legislation, whether
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it is permissible at all under our Constitution, and even
if it is, what is the extent of judicial legislation?
In my opinion, the interim order of this Court dated
22 nd September, 2006, prima facie, amounts to judicial
legislation and the question before us is whether this is
legally permissible. I am prima facie of the opinion that
it is not. As held by this Court in Divisional Manager,
Aravali Golf Club & Another vs. Chander Hass & Another
(2008) 1 SCC 683 (vide para 26):
.... If there is a law, judges can certainlyenforce it, but judges cannot create a law
and seek to enforce it. There is broad separation of powers under the
Constitution, and hence one organ of the State should not
encroach into the domain of another organ. The judiciary
should not therefore seek to perform legislative or
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executive functions vide Common Cause vs. Union of India
(2008) 5 SCC 511.
In Ram Jawaya Kapur vs. State of Punjab AIR 1955 SC
549 (vide paragraph 12), a Constitution Bench of this Court
observed:
12. ...The Indian Constitution has notindeed recognized the doctrine of separationof powers in its absolute rigidity but thefunctions of the different parts or branchesof the Government have been sufficientlydifferentiated and consequently it can very
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well be said that our Constitution does notcontemplate assumption, by one organ or partof the State, of functions that essentially
belong to another.
(emphasis supplied)
Similarly, in Asif Hameed vs. State of Jammu and
Kashmir, AIR 1989 SC 1899, a three Judge bench of this
Court observed:
17. Before adverting to the controversydirectly involved in these appeals we mayhave a fresh look at the inter se
functioning of the three organs of democracyunder our Constitution. Although thedoctrine of separation of powers has not
been recognized under the Constitution inits absolute rigidity but the constitution
makers have meticulously defined thefunctions of various organs of the State.Legislature, executive and judiciary have to
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function within their own spheres demarcatedunder the Constitution. No organ can usurpthe functions assigned to another. TheConstitution trusts to the judgment of theseorgans to function and exercise theirdiscretion by strictly following the
procedure prescribed therein. Thefunctioning of democracy depends upon thestrength and independence of each of itsorgans. Legislature and executive, the twofacets of people's will, they have all the
powers including that of finance. Judiciaryhas no power over sword or the pursenonetheless it has power to ensure that theaforesaid two main organs of State functionwithin the constitutional limits. It is thesentinel of democracy. Judicial review is a
powerful weapon to restrain unconstitutionalexercise of power by the legislature andexecutive. The expanding horizon of judicialreview has taken in its fold the concept of
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social and economic justice. While exerciseof powers by the legislature and executiveis subject to judicial restraint, the only
check on our own exercise of power is theself imposed discipline of judicialrestraint.
Frankfurter, J. of the U.S. Supreme Courtdissenting in the controversial expatriationcase of Trop v. Dulles (1958) 356 US 86observed as under :
....All power is, in Madison's phrase, of an encroaching nature.
Judicial powers is not immune against thishuman weakness. It also must be on guardagainst encroaching beyond its proper
bounds, and not the less so since the onlyrestraint upon it is self restraint.....
In my respectful opinion, once the Committee's
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Report was received by the Court, the Court should have
thereafter, instead of passing a judicial order directing
implementation of the recommendations, sent it to the
appropriate Legislature or its delegate (which in this case
is the University which can make delegated legislation in
the form of Statutes or Ordinances). It is for the
Legislature or the concerned authorities to make a law
accepting the Report in toto or accepting it in part, or
not accepting it at all but it is not for the Court to pass
judicial orders for implementations of the recommendations
by the Committee, because that would really amount to
legislation by the judiciary.
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Learned Solicitor General submitted that when there
is a pressing social need the Court can validly pass an
order such as the one passed by this Court on 22.9.2006 in
the public interest. I am afraid I have some reservations
about this proposition, and that for two reasons. Firstly,
there are hundreds of pressing social needs e.g. the need
to control price rise, abolish unemployment and poverty
etc. Should the Courts start dealing with all these social
problems? Secondly, once the Court starts doing
legislation, as the order dated 22.9.2006 has really done,
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where does this end, and is this not encroaching into the
domain of the legislature or executive? In Divisional
Manager, Aravali Golf Club (supra), we have pointed at the
grave dangers for the judiciary in this.
It has been repeatedly held by this Court that this
Court cannot direct legislation vide Union of India vs.
Prakash P. Hinduja (2003) 6 SCC 195:AIR 2003 SC 2612 and it
cannot legislate vide Sanjay Kumar vs. State of U.P. 2004
All LJ 239, Verareddy Kumaraswamy Reddy vs. State of A.P.
(2006) 2 SCC 670:JT(2006) 2 SC 361, Suresh Seth vs. Commr.
Indore Municipal Corporation (2005) 13 SCC 287:AIR 2006 SC
767 and Union of India vs. Deoki Nandan Aggarwal 1992
Supp(1) SCC 323:AIR 1992 SC 96.
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The Court should not encroach into the sphere of the
other organs of the State vide N.K. Prasada vs. Govt. of
India (2004)6 SCC 299 : JT 2004 Supp (1) SC 326.
Thus in Supreme Court Employees' Welfare Assn. vs.
Union India (1989) 4 SCC 187:AIR 1990 SC 334, this Court
observed:
"There can be no doubt that an authorityexercising legislative function cannot bedirected to do a particular act. Similarlythe President of India cannot be directed by
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the court to grant approval to the proposals made by the Registrar General of the Supreme
Court, presumably on the direction of theChief Justice of India".
In Union of India vs. Assn. for Democratic Reforms
(2002) 5 SCC 294 : AIR 2002 SC 2112, this Court observed:
"19. At the outset, we would say that it isnot possible for this Court to give anydirections for amending the Act or thestatutory rules. It is for Parliament toamend the Act and the Rules. It is alsoestablished law that no direction can begiven, which would be contrary to the Actand the Rules."
Learned Solicitor General submitted that there are a
large number of decisions where such orders have been
passed by this Court, and there are a large number of
pending cases where the issues mentioned above will arise,
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and hence the matter should be referred to a Constitution
Bench to be constituted by Hon'ble the Chief Justice of
India. He invited our attention to Article 145(3) of the
Constitution which states that a bench of at least 5 Judges
should decide a case involving a substantial question of
law as to the interpretation of the Constitution.
We agree with this submission. The points mentioned
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above certainly raise grave questions of Constitutional
importance e.g. about (1) the separation of powers of the
different organs of the State under our Constitution, (2)
the validity of judicial legislation and, if it is at all
permissible, its limits, (3) the validity and limits of
judicial activism and the need for judicial restraint, etc.
It is true that this Court has often being doing
legislation in various decisions but the question remains
whether this was constitutionally valid. For example, in
Vishaka vs. State of Rajasthan (1997) 6 SCC 241 which was a
case relating to sexual harassment of women in work places,
a three Judge Bench of this Court has issued various
directives and as stated therein these will be treated as
law under Article 141 of the Constitution until Parliament
makes a law on the subject. While we fully agree that
working women should be protected against sexual
harassment, the constitutional question remains whether
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such directives by this Court are constitutionally valid?
In substance the Court has said in Vishaka's case (supra)
that it will become an interim Parliament and legislate on
the subject until Parliament makes a law on the subject.
Is this constitutionally valid? Can the Court convert
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itself into an interim Parliament and make law until
Parliament makes a law on the subject? I have grave doubts
about this, and hence this point also needs to be decided
by a Constitution Bench.
It is not necessary to refer to the other decisions
of this Court where it has assumed legislative or executive
powers, but the time has come when a thorough
reconsideration by an authoritative Constitution Bench is
required about the constitutional correctness of these
decisions.
Hence, I refer the following questions of law,
preferably to be decided by an authoritative Constitution
Bench of this Court, to be nominated by Hon'ble the Chief
Justice of India:
1. Whether the Court by an interim orderdated 22.09.2006 can validly directimplementation of the Lyngdoh Committee'sReport;
2. Whether the order dated 22 ndSeptember, 2006 really amounts to judiciallegislation;
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3. Whether under our Constitution thejudiciary can legislate, and if so, what isthe permissible limits of judiciallegislation. Will judicial legislation notviolate the principle of separation of
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powers broadly envisaged by ourConstitution;
4. Whether the judiciary can legislatewhen in its opinion there is a pressingsocial problem of public interest or it canonly make a recommendation to thelegislature or concerned authority in thisconnection; and
5. Whether Article 19 (1)(c) and otherfundamental rights are being violated whenrestrictions are being placed by theimplementation of the Lyngdoh Committeereport without authority of law.
6. What is the scope of Articles 141 and142 of the Constitution? Do they permit thejudiciary to legislate and/or performfunctions of the executive wing of theState.
In our opinion, these are questions of great
constitutional importance and hence, in our respectful
opinion they require careful consideration by a
Constitution Bench of this Court. The matters we are
referring to a larger Bench are occurring in a large number
of cases all over the country and indeed all over the
world. Hence, the issues we have raised have to be decided
after careful consideration preferably by a Constitution
Bench and after hearing learned counsel for the parties,
and also taking the help of some senior counsel as amicus
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curiae.
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Let the papers of this case be placed before Hon'ble
the Chief Justice of India for constituting preferably a
Constitution Bench at an early date for deciding the
questions stated by us above.
...........................J.[MARKANDEY KATJU]
NEW DELHI; NOVEMBER 11, 2009.
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REPORTABLE
IN THE SUPREME COURT OF INDIACIVIL APPELLATE JURISDICTION
CIVIL APPEAL NO.887 OF 2009
University of Kera a !!!A""e ant#s$
Vs!
Co%n&i ' Prin&i"a s(' Co e)es'Kera a an* Ot+ers !!!Res"on*ent#s$
With
S.L.P.(C) No. 24296-24299 o 2004S.L.P. (C) No. !4"#6 o 200#
W$it P%titio& (C) No. 429 o 2009
O R ' E R
AN L*+ ,.
,! I a)ree -it+ .y earne* Hon(/ e 0rot+er Kat1%'
J!' t+at t+e 2%estions for.% ate* /y His Lor*s+i"
s+o% * /e referre* to a Constit%tion 0en&+ for an
a%t+oritative "rono%n&e.ent!
3! Sin&e t+ose 2%estions &on&ern t+e very &ore of
15
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o%r Constit%tiona 1%ris"r%*en&e' I -o% * i4e to a**
.y "er&e"tion on t+ose 2%estions -+i&+ .ay /e a s+a*e
at a varian&e -it+ 0rot+er Kat1%' J! T+e re evan&e
of t+ose 2%estions is "erennia an* t+ey are /o%n* to
fi)%re in *e&isions of t+is Co%rt in vario%s
sit%ations! So -+i e .a4in) an a%t+oritative
"rono%n&e.ent on t+ose 2%estions t+e Constit%tion
0en&+ .ay &onsi*er t+e vie-s of /ot+ of %s!
5! T+e rationa e of t+e *o&trine of Se"aration of
Po-ers' to .y .in*' is to %"+o * in*ivi*%a i/erty
an* r% e of a-! Vestin) of a "o-er in one
a%t+ority o/vio%s y "ro.otes tyranny! T+erefore' t+e
"rin&i" e of Se"aration of Po-ers +as to /e vie-e*
t+ro%)+ t+e "ris. of &onstit%tiona is. an* for
%"+o *in) t+e )oa s of 1%sti&e in its f% .a)nit%*e!
6! T+e *o&trine is nor.a y asso&iate* -it+ t+e
Fren&+ P+i oso"+er Montes2%ie%' /%t t+e ori)in of
t+is "rin&i" e &an /e tra&e* /a&4 to Aristot e -+o
o"ine* t+at )overn.ent s+o% * /e &o."ose* of t+ree
or)ans' na.e y' t+e 7*e i/erative8 #i!e e)is ative$'
t+e .a)isteria #i!e!' e9e&%tive$ an* t+e 1%*i&ia !
Ho-ever t+e s&o"e of t+is *o&trine -as not -or4e* o%t
16
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f% y %nti Lo&4e an* Montes2%ie% e a/orate* t+is
&on&e"t in ,: t+ Cent%ry! Fo o-in) t+e "rin&i" es of
Jo+n Lo&4e' Ja.es Ma*ison -rote in t+e Fe*era ist
Pa"ers' #es" No!6;$ t+at! T+e va %e of t+is *o&trine ies in t+e fa&t
t+at it see4s to "reserve +%.an i/erty /y avoi*in)
t+e &on&entration of "o-ers in one "erson or /o*y of
"ersons! T+is &on&e"t of se"aration of "o-er or of
*ivi*e* a%t+ority is & ear y -oven in t+e fa/ri& of
A.eri&an Constit%tiona La-!
?! Se"aration of "o-ers .ay' t+erefore' /e a
" a%si/ e Constit%tiona *o&trine /%t as a .atter of
"ra&ti&e a &o." ete se"aration is never "ossi/ e! In
a .o*ern )overn.enta set %"' t+e e)is ative'
e9e&%tive an* 1%*i&ia f%n&tions .ay over a"' an* t+e
"o-er e9er&ise* /y t+ese t+ree /ran&+es are
"otentia y &oe9tensive( as vie-e* /y C+ief J%sti&e
Mars+a in Os/orn V! 0an4 of U!S! ? L!E*!3@6 #at
17
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"a)e 333 of t+e re"ort$! J%sti&e Fran4f%rter of t+e
U!S! S%"re.e Co%rt a so o/serve* t+at 7enfor&e.ent of
a ri)i* &on&e"tion of se"aration of "o-ers -o% * .a4e
.o*ern )overn.ent i."ossi/ e!8#See< S&+-art A.eri&an
Constit%tion La-' "a)e 5,@$!
;! T+e Constit%tiona a- of En) an* re&o)ni es
t+is *o&trine /%t t+is -as never )iven a
Constit%tiona stat%s nor -as it t+eoreti&a y
a&&e"te*! Ho-ever in severa 1%*).ents' t+e e9isten&e
of t+is *o&trine +as /een a&4no- e*)e*! #See t+e
s"ee&+ of Lor* Di" o&4 in i& / & oth%$/ vs! Th%
1 %%& B #, ;?$ , A!E!R 5>5' at "a)e 5;@ #P a&it%.
)($' ' 3o$t St%% / Li5it% & Oth%$/ vs! Si$/ &
oth%$/ re"orte* in #, :@$ , A!E!R! >3 ' t+e o"inion
of Lor* Di" o&4 at >6, " a&it%.' )(' +( an* i( an*
t+at of Lor* S&ar.an at "a)e >>;' t+ere t+e earne*
1%*)e a&&e"te* t+at in t+e a/sen&e of stat%te' 1%*)es
are virt%a y a- .a4ers(' #" a&it%. &($ an* t+e
vie- of Lor* Te." e.an in vs! o5% O i % &
&oth%$ ' re"orte* in #, 5$ 5 A!E!R! >5;' at "a)e
>6@' " a&it%. f(!
18
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:! T+e *o&trine +as /een .ost *ire&t y
in&or"orate* in t+e U!S! Constit%tion /y its
"rovisions i4e 7a e)is ative "o-ers s+a /e
veste* in a Con)ress #Arti& e I' Se&tion ,$' 7T+e
e9e&%tive "o-ers s+a /e veste* in a Presi*ent8
#Arti& e II' Se&tion ,$ an* 7t+e 1%*i&ia "o-ers
s+a /e veste* in one S%"re.e Co%rt an* in s%&+
inferior &o%rts as Con)ress .ay fro. ti.e to ti.e
or*ain an* esta/ is+8 #Arti& e III' Se&tion ,$!
! In o%r Constit%tion t+ere is no s%&+ *efine*
an* e9"ress in&or"oration of t+e *o&trine of
Se"aration of Po-er' save an* e9&e"t t+at t+e
E9e&%tive "o-er of t+e Union is veste* in t+e
Presi*ent %n*er Arti& e >5#,$ an* si.i ar y t+e
E9e&%tive "o-er of t+e State is veste* on t+e
overnor %n*er Arti& e ,>6#,$! 0%t so far as
e)is ative an* 1%*i&ia "o-ers are &on&erne* t+ey
are not veste* on any a%t+ority! Un*er Arti& e >@'
one of t+e *ire&tive "rin&i" es of State "o i&y'
State is to ta4e ste"s to se"arate t+e 1%*i&iary fro.
t+e e9e&%tive in t+e "%/ i& servi&es of t+e State!
0%t t+is +as not+in) to *o -it+ t+e vestin) of "o-er!
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,@! Un*er o%r Constit%tion t+e e9e&%tive is en*o-e*
-it+ &ertain e)is ative "o-ers' for instan&e t+e
Or*inan&e .a4in) "o-ers %n*er Arti& e ,35 an* Arti& e
3,5! It a so +as &ertain 1%*i&ia "o-ers %n*er
Arti& e ,@5 an* Arti& e , 3! T+e e)is at%re is a so
e."o-ere* to e9er&ise &ertain 1%*i&ia "o-ers %n*er
Arti& e ,@> an* Arti& e , >! T+e 1%*i&iary a so
e9er&ises &ertain e)is ative an* e9e&%tive "o-ers
%n*er Arti& es ,6>' ,6?' 33; an* 33 !
,,! In a**ition' t+e e9e&%tive a so e9er&ises
s%/stantia 2%asi=1%*i&ia "o-ers %n*er severa
stat%tory "rovisions -+ere/y Tri/%na s +ave /een set
%"! T+ese Tri/%na s' -it+ a .ost t+e tra""in)s of a
Co%rt' *e&i*e t+e is /et-een t+e "arties! Of &o%rse'
t+e sa.e is s%/1e&t to -e 4no-n )ro%n*s of
interferen&e /y -rit &o%rt %n*er 1%*i&ia revie-!
T+e Par ia.ent' t+e +i)+est e)is ative /o*y in t+is
Co%ntry a so e9er&ises 2%asi=1%*i&ia "o-er in t+e
&ase of i."ea&+.ent of 1%*)es Art! ,36#>$ an* Art!
3,;G an* a so in res"e&t of &onte."t of e)is at%res
Art! , 6#5$G!
,3! J%sti&e Pat+a4 #as His Lor*s+i" t+en -as$
20
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e9" aine* t+ese "rin&i" es in B & h ti o$ h
vs! &io& o I& i re"orte* in #, :6$ 5 SCC ,?,' an*
-+i&+ is of so.e re evan&e in t+e &onte9t an* -+i&+ I
2%ote
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is re2%ire* to *o &o." ete 1%sti&e in t+e &ase!
T+ose t-o Arti& es #Arti& e ,6, an* ,63$ are set
o%t
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or)ans into -ater=ti)+t &o."art.ents!
,>! In t+is &onte9t t+e *ire&tion of J%sti&e
0+a)-ati #as His Lor*s+i" t+en -as$ in t+e
Constit%tion 0en&+ *e&ision in i&%$ i / vs!
&io& o I& i B #, :@$ 5 SCC ?3>G' is very a"t an*
is 2%ote*$ S%"" SCC ,G! In "ara 6? at "a)e 63
of t+e re"ort t+e earne* C+ief J%sti&e & ear y
state*
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an* A%stra ia! In o%r Constit%tion t+ere isse"aration of "o-ers in a /roa* sense t+e*o&trine of se"aration of "o-ers asre&o)ni e* in A.eri&a is not a"" i&a/ e too%r &o%ntry!8
,;! T+e Learne* C+ief J%sti&e .a*e a &ate)ori&a
fin*in) at "ara 6; #"a)e 63$ t+at t+e ri)i*
se"aration of "o-ers as %n*er A.eri&an Constit%tion
or A%stra ian Constit%tion *oes not a"" y to o%r
&o%ntry!
,:! In I& i$ N%h$ & hi S%"raG t+e vie- of
C+ief J%sti&e Ray -as affir.e* /y J%sti&e C+an*ra&+%*
in "ara ?:6 at ")! 3> an* -+i&+ are very "ertinent
in "resent &onte9t an* I 2%ote
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"o-ers 7is not a *o&trinaire &on&e"t to/e .a*e %se of -it+ "e*anti& ri)o%r!T+ere .%st /e sensi/ e a""ro9i.ation't+ere .%st /e e asti&ity of a*1%st.entin res"onse to t+e "ra&ti&a ne&essities
of ovt! -+i&+ &annot foresee to*ay t+e*eve o".ents of to.orro- in t+eir near yinfinite variety8! T+%s' even inA.eri&a' *es"ite t+e t+eory t+at t+e
e)is at%re &annot *e e)ate its "o-er tot+e e9e&%tive! a +ost of r% es an*re)% ations are "asse* /y non=
e)is ative /o*ies' -+i&+ +ave /een1%*i&ia y re&o)nise* as va i*!
, ! In anot+er Constit%tion 0en&+ J%*).ent in A! K!
Roy v! Union of In*ia AIR , :3 SC ;,@ C+ief J%sti&e
C+an*ra&+%* s"ea4in) for t+e .a1ority +e * at "ara 35
")! ;35 t+at 7o%r &onstit%tion *oes not fo o- t+e
A.eri&an "attern of stri&t se"aration of "o-ers8
3@! It .ay /e note* t+at t+is Co%rt +as on severa
o&&asions iss%e* *ire&tions' *ire&tives in res"e&t of
t+ose sit%ations -+i&+ are not &overe* /y any a-!
T+e *e&ision in Vi/ vs! St t% o R : /th & '
#, ;$ ? SCC 36,G' is one s%&+ instan&e -+erein a
t+ree=J%*)e 0en&+ of t+is Co%rt )ave severa
*ire&tions to "revent se9%a +arass.ent of -o.en at
t+e -or4" a&e! Ta4in) into a&&o%nt t+e 7a/sen&e of
ena&te* a-8 to "rovi*e for effe&tive enfor&e.ent of
t+e ri)+t of )en*er e2%a ity an* )%arantee a)ainst
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se9%a +arass.ent' C+ief J%sti&e Ver.a +e * t+at
)%i*e ines an* nor.s )iven /y t+e Co%rt -i +o * t+e
fie * %nti e)is ation -as ena&te* for t+e "%r"ose!
It -as & arifie* t+at t+is Co%rt -as a&tin) %n*er
Arti& e 53 of t+e Constit%tion an* t+e *ire&tions
7-o% * /e treate* as t+e a- *e& are* /y t+e Co%rt
%n*er Arti& e ,6, of t+e Constit%tion!8 #"ara ,?$
3,! Si.i ar y' t+e S%"re.e Co%rt iss%e* *ire&tions
re)ar*in) t+e "ro&e*%re an* t+e ne&essary "re&a%tions
to /e fo o-e* in t+e a*o"tion of In*ian &+i *ren /y
forei)n a*o"tive "arents! +i e t+ere -as no a- to
re)% ate inter=&o%ntry a*o"tions' 0+a)-ati J!' #as
His Lor*s+i" t+en -as$ in L ;5i &t P & %< vs! &io&
o I& i + AIR , :; SC 353G' for.% ate* an entire
s&+e.e for re)% atin) inter=&o%ntry an* intra=&o%ntry
a*o"tions! T+is is an e9a." e of 1%*i&iary fi in) %"
t+e voi* /y )ivin) *ire&tions -+i&+ are sti +o *in)
t+e fie *!
33! S%&+ 1%*i&ia intervention -+en t+ere are )a"s
in t+e e)is ation +as serve* t+e &a%se of 1%sti&e!
It .ay /e note* t+at t+e 1%*)es .a4e a- is a so
s+are* /y severa a&&o." is+e* 1%rists! J%*)e Ri&+ar*
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3>! C+ief J%sti&e 0+a)-ati(s vie- in t+is re)ar* is
in t%ne -it+ t+e 1%rists .entione* a/ove! His
Lor*s+i" +e * in His Lor*s+i"(s a**ress on t+e
Do.esti& A"" i&ation of H%.an Ri)+ts Nor.s( = 7It is
re&o)ni e* on a +an*s t+at 1%*)es *o not .ere y
*is&over a-' /%t t+ey a so .a4e a- Even -+en a
1%*)e is &on&erne* -it+ inter"retation of a 0i of
Ri)+ts or a stat%te' t+ere is a." e s&o"e for +i. to
*eve o" an* .o% * t+e a-! It is +e -+o inf%ses ife
an* / oo* into t+e *ry s4e eton "rovi*e* /y t+e
e)is at%re an* &reates a ivin) or)anis. a""ro"riate
an* a*e2%ate to .eet t+e nee*s of t+e so&iety an* /y
t+%s .a4in) an* .o% *in) t+e a-' +e ta4es "art in
t+e -or4 of &reation an* t+is is .%&+ .ore tr%e in
t+e &ase of inter"retation of t+e Constit%tion
reatness on t+e 0en&+ ies in &reativity an* it is
on y t+ro%)+ /o * an* i.a)inative inter"retation t+at
t+e a- &an /e .o% *e* an* *eve o"e* an* +%.an ri)+ts
a*van&e* To .eet t+e nee*s of t+e so&iety' t+e
1%*)es *o .a4e a- an* it is no- re&o)ni e*
every-+ere t+at 1%*)es ta4e "art in t+is a- .a4in)
f%n&tion an*' t+erefore' 1%*)es .a4e a-!8
3?! T+e a-=.a4in) ro e of t+is Co%rt +as a so /een
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a&4no- e*)e* in vario%s ot+er *e&isions as -e ! In
t+is &onte9t' one .%st a""re&iate t+e s&o"e an* a./it
of Arti& es ,6, an* ,63!
3;! In so far as Arti& e ,6, is &on&erne*'
Sa/yasa&+i M%4+ar1i(s' C!J!' vie- is of "ri.ary
i."ortan&e! In '% hi T$ &/3o$t Co$3o$ tio& vs! '.T.C.
= oo$ Co&>$%//+ #AIR , , SC ,@,$' t+e earne*
1%*)e notes t+at -e .%st *o a-ay -it+ t+e &+i *is+
fi&tion t+at a- is not .a*e /y t+e 1%*i&iary( an*
&ites A%stin(s *es&ri"tion of t+e 0 a&4stonian
Prin&i" e in t+is re)ar*! M%4+ar1i J! a so refers to
t+e o/servations .a*e /y C+ief J%sti&e S%//a Rao in
Golak Nath vs! State of Punjab , #AIR , ?; SC ,?65 at
,??; )+ -+erein it -as "ointe* o%t t+at Arti& e ,6,
an* Arti& e ,63 7are *esi)ne* y .a*e &o."re+ensive to
ena/ e t+e S%"re.e Co%rt to *e& are a- an* to )ive
s%&+ *ire&tions or "ass s%&+ or*ers' as are ne&essary
to *o &o." ete 1%sti&e! S%//a Rao C!J! +a* .a*e t+e
fo o-in) o/servation = 7t+e e9"ression *e& are*( is
-i*er t+an t+e -or*s fo%n* or .a*e(! To *e& are is
to anno%n&e o"inion! In*ee*' t+e atter invo ves t+e
"ro&ess' -+i e t+e for.er e9"resses res% t!
Inter"retation' as&ertain.ent an* evo %tion are "arts
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of t+e "ro&ess' -+i e t+at inter"rete*' as&ertaine*
or evo ve* is *e& are* as a-! T+e a- *e& are* /y
t+is Co%rt is t+e a- of t+e an*! To *eny t+is "o-er
to t+is Co%rt on t+e /asis of so.e o%t.o*e* t+eory
t+at t+e Co%rt on y fin*s a- /%t *oes not .a4e it'
is to .a4e ineffe&tive t+e "o-erf% instr%.ents of
1%sti&e " a&e* in t+e +an*s of t+e +i)+est 1%*i&iary
of t+is Co%ntry!8#"ara >@$
3:! T+is "arti&% ar vie- of C+ief J%sti&e S%//a
Rao' to .y .in*' +as not /een *e"arte* fro.! M!P!
Jain in +is arti& e tit e* T+e S%"re.e Co%rt an*
F%n*a.enta Ri)+ts( &o..ents on t+is o/servation in
o N th #s%"ra$ an* "oints o%t t+at t+e
*e& aratory t+eory -+i&+ says t+at 1%*)es on y
*e& are t+e a- /%t *o not .a4e it +as /een *is&ar*e*
even in 0ritain an* t+e )enera &onsens%s of o"inion
at t+e "resent *ays is t+at ne- a- is &reate* /y t+e
1%*i&iary( # in Fi t< *% $/ o th% S 3$%5% Co $t? It/
$ /3 & R% h $! Mr! Jain refers to L oy*(s
Intro*%&tion to J%ris"r%*en&e' -+erein it is "ointe*
o%t +o- t+ere re.ains a &onsens%s of o"inion t+at'
-it+in &ertain narro- an* & ear y *efine* i.its' ne-
a- is &reate* /y t+e 1%*i&iary! As is ri)+t y
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t+at Arti& e ,63 is an i."ortant &onstit%tiona "o-er
)rante* to t+e Co%rt to "rote&t its &iti ens! T+e
earne* 1%*)e o/serve* B In a )iven sit%ation -+en
a-s are fo%n* to /e ina*e2%ate for t+e "%r"oses of
)rant of re ief' t+e Co%rt &an e9er&ise its
1%ris*i&tion %n*er Arti& e ,63 of t+e Constit%tion!(
# 3 $ "" $ In "ara 5 ' He)*e J! refers to t+e
*e&isions in Visaka vs! State of Rajasthan ' #, ;$ ?
SCC 36,G an* Vi&%%t N $ i& vs! &io& o I& i '
# , :$ , SCC 33?G' to note t+at t+e *ire&tions
iss%e* /y t+e Co%rt %n*er Arti& e ,63 for. t+e a- of
t+e an* in t+e a/sen&e of any s%/stantive a-
&overin) t+at fie *! S%&+ *ire&tions' a&&or*in) to
His Lor*s+i"' fi t+e va&%%.( %nti t+e e)is at%re
ena&ts s%/stantive a-!
5@! e .ay note +ere t+at t+is atte."te*
e)is ation /y t+is Co%rt +as /een a"" a%*e*
internationa y! Referen&e in t+is &onne&tion .ay /e
.a*e to an arti& e on Se"aration of Po-ers /y N! !
0ar/er in 3@@, Ca./ri*)e La- Jo%rna #Vo ! ?@ ")!
> $! At "a)e :3 of t+e arti& e' t+e earne* a%t+or
+as sai*
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7T+ir* y' it is "ossi/ e for a &o%rt*e i/erate y to *e"art fro. t+e tria*i&str%&t%re in or*er to &o./at t+ereso%r&e *efi&ien&ies of iti)ants! Asinterestin) e9a." e of t+is &an /e fo%n*
in In*ia -ere t+e S%"re.e Co%rt +asatte."te* to .eet t+e instit%tiona&+a en)es "ose* /y a &o./ination of a-ea4 e)is ation an* a "oor &iti enry!T+e S%"re.e Co%rt +as re a9e* t+e for.arestri&tions on a"" i&ations to t+e&o%rt! An a"" i&ation &an /e .a*e /y a
etter' or even a "ost&ar*' a**resse* tot+e &o%rt!8
5,! F%rt+er it is "ointe* at "a)e :5 t+at SCC ?6;G! T+e earne* La- Lor*
re&o)ni e* t+at t+e "rin&i" e of #a$ s%staina/ e
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*eve o".ent' #/$ "re&a%tionary "rin&i" e an* #&$
"o %ter "ays= /e&a.e "art of t+e In*ian a- in vie-
of t+e sai* 1%*).ent!
55! Co..entin) on Ve ores Citi ens( 1%*).ent an*
*evisin) of re.e*ies /y t+is Co%rt Lor* oo f +as
sai* an* -+i&+ I 2%oteG
56! For t+e reasons *is&%sse* a/ove' I a. +%./ y of
t+e vie- t+at t+e 2%estions for.% ate* /y J%sti&e
Kat1% .ay /e &onsi*ere* /y t+e Constit%tion 0en&+ in
t+e /a&4)ro%n* of t+e in+erent "o-er of t+is Co%rt
%n*er Arti& e ,6, an* Arti& e ,63! 0ot+ t+ese "o-ers
are %ni2%e an* "ossi/ y in no ot+er 1%ris"r%*en&e +ast+e +i)+est Co%rt /een e."o-ere* /y s%&+ "rovisions!
T+at is -+y it +as /een o/serve* t+at t+e S%"re.e
Co%rt itse f +as /een a so%r&e of a- in as .%&+ as
t+is Co%rt +e *
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e9istin) a- /%t *o not ena&t any fres+a-' is not in 4ee"in) -it+ t+e " enary
f%n&tion of t+e S%"re.e Co%rt %n*erArti& e ,6, of t+e Constit%tion' for t+eCo%rt is not .ere y t+e inter"reter of
t+e a- as e9istin) /%t .%&+ /eyon*t+at! T+e Co%rt as a -in) of t+e Stateis /y itse f a so%r&e of a-! T+e a- is-+at t+e Co%rt says it is! Patent y t+eHi)+ Co%rt fe into an error in itsa""re&iation of t+e ro e of t+is Co%rt!8
Nand Kishore . State of Punjab + (!99#)6 SCC 6!4+ 3 $ !7 G
5>! Ho-ever' I a)ree -it+ a t+e *ire&tions )iven
/y /rot+er Kat1%' J!' an* t+e &ase .ay /e " a&e*
/efore t+e Hon(/ e C+ief J%sti&e for referrin) t+e
2%estions /efore t+e Constit%tion 0en&+!
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!J!Ne- De +i #ASOK KUMAR AN UL $Nove./er ,,' 3@@
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