Shadows in the Courtroom: Quest for Judicial Accountability in India

The Specter of Judicial Corruption

- Pranjal Chaturvedi & Suhasini

The recent case of Justice Yashvant Verma has taken the country through awe and shock. The topic of Judicial accountability and transparency is seasonal. The topic is discussed and debated for several days when any case of Judicial corruption gets light or the Judiciary and executive are in a stand-off with one another. Before the case of Justice Yashvant Verma, the cases of Justice S.N. Shukla and the suicide note of the Former Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Kalikho Pul, implicating CJI and his successor, Justice Nirmal Yadav, have brought a bad name to the institution.

In India, the Indian Judiciary is cherished as the guardian of constitutional democracy. It is perceived as a bulwark against executive excesses and legislative arbitrariness. The allegations of Judicial Corruption, opacity, and elite favouritism have cast a shadow over institutional integrity and credibility. When the institution tasked with the responsibility of being guardian of the constitution is under suspicion of misconduct, the constitution's values are at risk. In this situation, the serious question of Judicial reform and transparency stands tall.

The allegations of favouritism and incidents of corruption through the collegium system in appointment of Judges at the constitutional court erodes the public trust in the Judiciary. These allegations are also not baseless.

Justice SN Shukla was charged by the CBI for allegedly accumulating assets worth Rs 2.45 crore that are out of proportion to his known income during his time serving as a High Court judge from 2014 to 2019. The case of Justice Nirmal Yadav is another horrendous example. The cash was delivered at the residence of Justice Nirmaljit Kaur, which was to be delivered at the residence of Justice Nirmal Yadav (retd) in a property deal. Justice IM Quddusi (retd.) Judge Orissa High Court was accused of trying to influence court proceedings in a private medical college admission case.