‘Call spl Parl session on judicial activism’

Goa''s Congress MP Shantaram Naik has called for a 3-day special session of Parliament to discuss too much of the judicial activism amounting to interference in the affairs of legislature and government, citing the Supreme Court in the recent past deciding on the liquor bars and dance bars or how to play and manage cricket.

Endorsing Finance Minister Arun Jaitley''s concern that the judiciary is crossing "Laxman Rekha" and "step by step, brick by brick, the edifice of Indian Legislature is being destroyed," he felt urgency of Parliament slamming the brakes on this increasing judicial activism of deciding the matters that come fully under the domain of the government.

Naik dashed off a 6-page letter to Jaitley, with a copy to Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad, to share his concern over a large number of people in his state rendered jobless because of the closure of hundreds of liquor bars and shops under an Apex Court fiat on distance criteria for doing the liquor business, overstepping on the prima facie job of the legislature and the executive.

He said the judiciary claims to step in because the legislature and executive (government) have failed in their duty, but if the same logic is applied, the Prime Minister, who commands the legislature and executive branches, could cite lakhs of pending court cases to claim the judiciary has failed in its responsibility and so he will sit in judgment over these cases to give relief to the people.