Opinion: Supreme Court, take a bow

Delhi, India

One after the other, the Supreme Court has passed some landmark judgements recently.  Without mincing words, the court took on central government, state governments and various authorities in respective cases.

The court on Monday said it was even open to the idea of livestreaming its proceedings to bring in transparency and accountability. "The concept of access to justice provides that though a litigant is not in court, they are able to know what is happening in their case in the court,” the bench said."

Last year, the SC ruled that the Right to Privacy was a fundamental right under constitution. The landmark observation was made by a nine-judge Constitution bench, which unimously overruled the two earlier apex court decision that Right to Privacy was not protected under constitution. 

The judgement indicated that citizens' privacy is a matter of utmost importance in the digital age when personal information was randomly shared with all types of government and private entities. With the verdict, the court favoured overarching guidelines to protect private information in public domain. 

Notably, Right to be Left Alone found significant mention in the verdict and the court also recognised Right to Sexual Orientation. This verdict holds a lot of importance because as they say -- your private life should be none of anyone else's business.

In the same month, the apex court passed another historic judgement. Pronouncing the practice of Triple Talaq as unconstitutional, the court stated that the practice was against the basic tenets of the Holy Quran and not a religious matter - as portrayed by the All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB) and some other Muslim organisations.

This judgement grants equality and empowerment to the Muslim women who have been subjected to the trauma of instant talaq for a very long time.

In another important decision, which registered a big win for freedom of choice, the SC in March this year, ruled that the court had no authority to annul a marriage between two consenting adults. It was hearing a case wherein a Hindu woman, Hadiya, had converted to Islam and got married to a Muslim Man. However, Hadiya's father had claimed that she was a victim of 'Love Jihad'.

With the judgement, the top court gave a clear message that adults were free to choose their companions independently, and that marriage has to be separate from criminal activity.

Furthermore, the court this month settled the long pending dispute between Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal and the Lieutenant Governor over division of powers. This decision has finally brought some relief for people of Delhi who have been the victim of this turf war. It's important for the Delhi government and the LG to work in harmony so that the civic services are not stalled. Let's hope the projects of public importance will run smoothly now.

Recently, the court came down heavily on the government, state government and various authorities for failing to protect Taj Mahal. Taj Mahal is one of the seven wonders of the world, it's our national pride, therefore there is an urgent need for the government, state government and concerned authorities to come up with appropriate measures to preserve the monument.

Moreover, taking a strong note of the lynching incidents and mob violence, the court intervened and asked the state governments to prevent such incidents. Here, court reminded states of their obligation and asserted that no one can take law in his hands.

The above mentioned and many other landmark judgements passed by the Supreme Court have major political and social implications on the country. These decisions are a clear indicator of the fact that India has a strong judiciary, and reaffirm our faith in the rule of law. 

Refusing to bow down to any pressure or protest, the country's top court has been upfront and fair in dealing with cases that have an impact on public at large.

(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)