The Brave Pedestrian

To The Secretary Department of Justice, Govt of India New Delhi. collegium-suggestions@gov.in collegium-improvement@gov.in Suggestions to improve the working of Collegium System for appointing/elevating High Court and Supreme Court judges Dear Sir, Thank you for soliciting public opinion on this important issue. Appointment and elevation of judges of the higher judiciary is indeed the key to ensuring efficient and unbiased administration of justice for citizens of India. My humble suggestions are as below: Transparency 1)     Judges desirous of being selected, elevated or transferred should be required to formally apply to the collegium, clearly stating their own eligibility for such selection or elevation. 2)     Individual members of the collegium may propose or support eligible candidates for selection, elevation, transfer to a different High Court etc., but this should be done in writing to the chief of that collegium (Chi...

Dear Concerned Citizens, How much effort is required to choke a person to death? Is it necessary to -- a)              surgically remove his lungs? b)              cut his windpipe? c)               obstruct 100% of his air-supply for one hour? The answer to all these questions is: NO. Killers smother their victims with nothing more than a handkerchief or pillow. After struggling for 30 seconds, most victims lose all hope, and their struggling become weak and ineffective. The bureaucracy uses this technique to routinely murder citizens’ initiatives and participatory democracy. Every year, millions of ordinary-looking caterpillars dramatically transform into butterflies. Similarly, every year, a few thousand ordinary folks in Indian cities and villages attain spiritual maturity and transfor...

Ratnakar Gaikwad’s selection as Chief Information Commissioner (CIC) of Maharashtra on 6 June 2012 violates a key principle of Natural Justice,  “Nemo iudex in causa sua”  i.e. “No man is permitted to be judge in his own cause”. The circumstances of the selection point to Ratnakar Gaikwad having been “judge in his own cause” in the matter of his selection. Prima facie , it appears that he exercised his powers during his previous tenure as Chief Secretary (i.e. overall chief of Maharashtra’s administration, including General Administration Department (GAD), and reporting directly to Chief Minister who heads the selection committee) to select himself in advance, and to keep the CIC’s seat vacant for 10 months until his own retirement from IAS. He was among the top 2-3 authorities in Govt of Maharashtra responsible for filling the CIC’s post in a timely way. He shirked that responsibility in a way that he gained from it. For its proper functioning, the Information Commission ...