Troubling questions

It may be a good idea for the SC to examine the unintended consequences of its ruling

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ICE PRESIDENT JAGDEEP Dhankhar's outbursts against the Supreme Court (SC) on Thursday are in line with expectations from a man who is prone to speaking outside the remit and decorum of the exalted constitutional positions he has held.

In a frontal attack against the country's apex court, Dhankhar said that Article 142 of the Constitution was "a nuclear missile against democratic forces, available to the judiciary 24x7". He is certainly entitled to his private opinion, but this was the Vice President speaking about the country's top constitutional court in a public forum. The subject of his ire was the Supreme Court's decision last week to impose timelines on the conduct of not just governors but also the presidential office, when it comes to giving assent to a Bill passed by a state legislature.