‘Judiciary is defender of Constitution’

PATNA: Retired Supreme Court judge and former chairperson of the National Company Law Appellate Tribunal, S J Mukhopadhyaya, on Friday emphasised the need of independence of judiciary for ensuring smooth working of the democratic system.
Delivering an online lecture on ‘Relevance of judiciary in Indian democracy’, organised by Chanakya National Law University (CNLU) on the occasion of Constitution Day, he said the Indian judiciary has not shied away from its responsibility of upholding the goals of the constitution.“The judiciary is the defender of the constitution and the principles enshrined therein and it also serves as the promoter of peace, cordiality and balance between organs of the government,” he added.
Mukhopadhyaya said the Indian constitution, the fundamental law of the land, had been drafted with the four-fold objective of securing justice, liberty, equality and fraternity to all the Indian citizens. “Even though there is no strict application of the theory of checks and balances in India, the constitution has drawn certain limits and boundaries in respect of the legislative, executive and the judicial powers,” he said.
CNLU vice-chancellor justice (retired) Mridula Mishra, in her presidential remarks, said the objectives enshrined in the Indian constitution must be achieved at all costs for proper functioning of democracy in the country and welfare of the Indian citizens. “The judiciary in India, especially the higher judiciary, has been assigned a vital role in various areas like upholding the federal principle, interpretation of the laws made by respective legislatures, testing the validity of such laws and more importantly in protecting the fundamental rights of the citizens,” she said.
CNLU social science dean S P Singh welcomed the guests and introduced the topic of discussion along with the significance of Constitution Day celebration. CNLU registrar Manoranjan Prasad Srivastava proposed a vote of thanks.
The Central University of South Bihar (CUSB) organised a panel discussion on ‘Inculcating the constitutional values in the light of New Education Policy, 2020: Issues and challenges’ as part of Constitution Day celebrations. Vice-chancellor K N Singh and faculty members also participated in the Preamble-reading session held on the campus.