Incomplete justice? the supreme court at 75

India’s top legal minds on the issues that define justice In its seventy-fifth year, how should one view the Supreme Court of India – an institution that has not only transformed in its composition and functioning but has also been a catalyst for change in other branches of the State? How has it fared in terms of accountability, transparency and its responsibility to both the law and the people? Has it consistently managed to strike the delicate balance between judicial activism and the imperative of accountability in the exercise of judicial power?
To what extent has the Court fulfilled its role as a counter-majoritarian body capable of checking majoritarian impulses and the excesses of State power? Has it remained true to its constitutional mandate, interpreting the Constitution in the spirit of its foundational values – liberty, equality, fraternity and dignity? And how consistent has its jurisprudence been in defending these ideals?
This book brings together a range of voices – former judges, practicing lawyers, legal scholars, researchers and a journalist – to engage with these questions through a series of essays and interviews. Their reflections offer a critical exploration of the Supreme Court’s evolving role and functioning. This volume aims to foster meaningful dialogue and deepen public understanding of the Court’s challenges in retaining its legitimacy while striving to fulfill the constitutional promise of equal and fair justice.