On Friday, the Supreme Court said that in a democracy, it’s okay to have different ideas, but those ideas must follow the rules of the Constitution. Justices Surya Kant and Ujjal Bhuyan said this while looking at a petition from a lawyer named Jaya Sukin. She wanted the court to tell the government and the Bar Council of India that people running for positions in bar groups shouldn’t belong to any political party.
The judges replied that there’s no law stopping a political party member from holding elections for bar bodies. They said, “You want us to create a new law? That’s not possible.” Senior lawyer Sirajuddin spoke for Sukin, arguing that if candidates can be members of political parties, they might favor those parties during elections. However, the judges countered, asking, “What’s wrong if a Bar office-holder has political beliefs?”
Justice Surya Kant pointed out that important people in law, like the late Ram Jethmalani, were part of political parties but also contributed greatly to the legal world. He asked if we should miss out on the wisdom of such talented individuals just because they were involved in politics.
The judges emphasized that there’s no law against political party members running for bar body elections. They joked, suggesting that Sirajuddin should also join a political party to gain experience. When Sirajuddin asked to send this matter to the Law Commission for more study, the judges refused and allowed him to take back his petition.
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