People are terming the decision of the Supreme Court to let the deleted voters in West Bengal remain on electoral rolls but not vote this time, saying that their deletion is not permanent, as bizarre. But there is nothing new in this; there are many precedents.
The Apex Court, in its Ayodhya judgment, had said that there was no temple under the Babri Masjid, but due to sentimental reasons, the land be given to Hindus.
The SC said that the Chandigarh Election Officer conducting the mayoral poll committed a fraud on the election process but did not punish that officer.
The SC said that the acts of the Governor removing the Uddhav Thackeray government in Maharashtra and appointing another government were illegal but did not remove the new government or reinstate Uddhav Thackeray.
The SC said that the electoral bonds were illegal ab initio and the scheme was a fraud on the electorate, but it did not punish anyone or ask for the return of all money received by the political parties using the illegal bond process. All the above examples amount to a gross miscarriage of justice.
This current judgment is not the only one that is mind-boggling. The highest temple of justice, under different CJIs, has gone completely bonkers, and we have allowed that to happen, accepting their verdicts as if they came from heaven itself. That is our folly.
We have not protested enough for fear that the SC may send us to jail. No institution is infallible, more so the judiciary.
