TODAY'SPAPEROPINION

May26,2016

Thecourtsfutureisinitsownhands
TheSupremeCourtsattempttoorchestrateenvironmentalgovernanceinacaserelatingtodieseltaxisinDelhihurtlesittowardsanew
frontier,andoneforwhichitiswhollyunprepared

AlexanderHamilton,oneoftheauthorsofTheFederalistPapers,foundationaldocumentsfortheU.S.Constitution,prescientlywrotethat
thejudiciaryhasnoinfluenceovereithertheswordorthepurse.Insteaditonlyhasitspowerofjudgment,usingwhichitmustearnthe
respectofthepeople.FewcourtshavedemonstratedthetruthofthispropositionmoreamplythantheSupremeCourtofIndia.Atits
inceptionin1950,itsgreatnesslayintheeruditionofitsjudges,themajestyofthelegalprofessionandthesheerbreadthofpowerinvestedin
itbytheframersoftheConstitution.AsIndiaevolved,sodidthereasonsfortheSupremeCourtsgreatnessitwasacourtthatspoketruth
topower,withjudgeswhowerebotheruditeandconsciousoftheirconstitutionalandsocialresponsibilities.Popularrespectforitwasalways
undergirdedbyanunquestionedfaithinjudicialcompetencetodotherightthing.

RecentactionsoftheSupremeCourt,however,presentaworryingportendofhowthecourtinitscurrentavatarislikelytobeperceived.
Threefactorshaveprecipitatedsuchaworryfirst,itsexpansionistroleattemptingtoorchestrateenvironmentalgovernanceinthecase
relatingtovehicularpollutioninDelhisecond,theintuitivelyincorrectlegalbasesforseveralsuchordersthird,aninadequateappreciation
ofitsowninstitutionallimitations.Takentogether,thisexpansionismmeansitishurtlingtowardsanewfrontierofaccountability,onefor
whichitiswhollyunprepared.

Thedieseltaxiflipflop

Inasurprisinglyboldmove,theSupremeCourtorderedalldieseltaxistoceaseoperationsinDelhibecausethedeadlinefortheirconversion
toCNGhadexpired.Howeveraftertwodaysofcontinuedprotestsandafreshhearing,thecourtagreedtomodifyitsorderandallowed
alreadyregisteredtaxistoply,whileatthesametimepreventingfreshregistrations.Twoaspectsofthecourtorderareparticularlytroubling
first,thatrepeatedpersuasioncouldforcethecourttochangeitsmind.Nothingcouldbemoreantitheticaltothedignityofacourtoflaw
thananinsinuationthatitisamenabletoentreaty.Thisisespeciallysosincetraditionallycourtshaveplacedsignificantemphasisonfinality.

Second,theorderofthecourttobandieseltaxisinDelhiinthefirstplacewascontrarytolaw,commonsenseandpracticalreality.Inpure
legalterms,taxiownershadlegitimateexpectationsthatonceacommerciallicencewasissuedonparticularterms,thosetermswouldbe
respected.Forthecourt,withoutfindingthosetermsthemselvesfaulty,tohavemodifiedthemtothedetrimentofthetaxiownerswould
upsettheirlegallyprotectedexpectations.

Moreover,whiletherighttoapollutionfreeenvironmentcanbetracedtoArticle21oftheConstitution,itisneitheraproblemuniqueto
Delhinortheexceptionalresponsibilityoftaxidriverstoredress.Inarecentsurvey,DelhiwasfoundtobebehindGwalior,Allahabad,Patna
andRaipurinthelistofpollutedcities.Atthesametime,whiledieseltaxismostcertainlypollute,sodosmalldieselprivatevehicles,petrol
cars,desertdustandarangeofothersources,tovaryingdegrees.Forthecourttojustifyspecialrestrictionsontaxisthatrequirestheir
banningaswellastreatingDelhiasaspecialcase,itwouldhavetodemonstratethatpollutionbydieseltaxisinDelhiwassomehowofa
distincttypewarrantingparticularlystringentintervention.Needlesstosay,thisisafutileexercise.

Aquestionofcompetence

ThefutilityofsuchanexercisealsounderlinesthefactthatmanagingDelhispollutionissimplynotataskthatiswithin
themanagerialcompetenceofthejudiciary.InGerryRosenbergsseminalbookTheHollowHope,hehighlightsthe
inabilityoftheAmericanSupremeCourttoeffectuategroundlevelsocialchange.This,accordingtohimwasowingto
threeconstraintsalackofindependence,thelimitedtextofconstitutionalrightsandtheinabilitytoconceptualiseand
enforceholisticreform.WhiletheIndianSupremeCourtmayhavesuccessfullyovercomethefirsttwo,itisintrinsicto
thejudicialfunctionthatitisunabletoenforcemeaningfulreform.Anexamplewillillustratetheorder(passedbyan
earlierBench)toconvertalldieseltaxiswithnationalpermitsbutoperatinginDelhitoCNGfailedtotakeintoaccount
theabjectlackofCNGfillingstationsinStatescontiguoustotheNationalCapitalRegionwheresuchtaxismostoften
travel.TheStatesofUttarPradeshandHaryana(sanstheNationalCapitalRegion)have32andthreefillingstations,
respectively,Rajasthanhasthree(allinKota),whereasPunjab,HimachalPradeshandUttarakhandhavenone.

Thecombinationofanopennesstoentreaty,asimplisticconsiderationoflegalprinciples,andnottakingitsinstitutional
limitationsseriouslyhasmeantthattheSupremeCourtisincreasinglyseenasacourtthatrunsgovernmentratherthan
onethatdispensesjustice.ThisisnotperseobjectionableastheSupremeCourtitselfoftenpointsout,whenother
organsofgovernmentarerecalcitrant,itcannotsimplysitbackandwatchtheConstitutionbeingviolated.However,the
concernarisesnotfromthefactthatthecourtplayssucharole,buthowitdoesso.

Recentepisodesdemonstratethatthecourthasrushedheadlongintothistask,determinedtocorrectwrongsanduphold
rights.Itisimportanttonotetheincipientcosts.Playingsuchacoregovernancefunctionmeansthatitisonlyamatterof
timebeforepeopleexpectittobeaccountableasgovernmentistoprovideintimesofneed,andtocriticiseit,perhaps
evendefyitwhenneedsarenotmet.Theprotestbydieseltaxidriversisawarningsigninthisregard.Itisimperativethat
thecourtpicksuponitandintrospectsoncarvingoutaroleinnationalgovernancethatdoesntjeopardiseits
institutionalcredibility.

ArghyaSenguptaisResearchDirectorofVidhiCentreforLegalPolicy,aDelhibasedlegalthinktank.Viewsarepersonal.

Withthecourtplayingacoregovernancefunction,peoplewillsoonexpectittobe

asaccountableas

thegovernment

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