Pendency of cases in Supreme Court: The supreme failure

News: Supreme Court of India has delivered judgment on many important matters like Decriminalizing homosexuality, the Right to privacy a fundamental right, etc, and brace the belief in republican values like equality, liberty, etc.

But still, many important cases are pending for the final judgment. This has serious repercussions on the fundamental rights of citizens and core republic values.

What are the significant cases pending in front of the Supreme Court?

According to Vidhi Centre for Legal Policy, there are 25 main cases pending before the five-judge constitution bench and five cases each pending before the seven-judge and nine-judge benches. Some of the important cases pending in SC:

– Challenging constitutionality of Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2019.

– Challenging Presidential order that diluted Article 370 and split Jammu Kashmir into two Union Territories

–  Challenging the constitutionality of the 103rd Amendment Act,2019

– Constitutional challenge to the electoral bonds scheme

– Vivek Narayan Sharma v. Union of India case: It’s been in the SC for more than 5 years. This case is related to the legality of demonetisation of all ₹500 and ₹1,000 notes. According to RBI, demonetisation went horribly wrong because more than 99% of the cash came back into the banking system. SC did not hear this case since September 2, 2019.

What is the way forward for Supreme Court?

According to Granville Austin, SC is the custodian of law. It should fulfil its custodial responsibility by making sure that the law applies fairly to all citizens. It should also make sure to deliver the judgments in a time-bound manner.

Source: This post is based on the article “The supreme failure” published in The Hindu on 1st February 2022.