NEW DELHI: Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar He on Wednesday expressed concern over the “militarization” of access to the judiciary, calling it a major challenge to India’s governance and democratic ethos.
Addressing the students in the Indian Institute of Democratic LeadershipDhankhar also criticized the institutions for overstepping their boundaries, indirectly targeting the judiciary for issuing notices without proper jurisdiction.
“In simple terms, a tehsildar cannot register an FIR, no matter how strongly they feel it. Our Constitution requires institutions to operate within their designated domains. Are they doing so? I will answer: no,” Dhankhar said.
The vice president said that while access to the judiciary is a fundamental right, its misuse in recent decades has compromised governance and democratic principles. “This militarization of the judiciary poses a serious challenge to our democratic values“, said.
Dhankhar also denounced the deterioration of standards of parliamentary decorumin reference to the riots in Parliament. “What was once a temple of democracy has now become a field of struggle. Concepts of decorum and dignity are rapidly fading,” the vice president added.
Dhankhar expressed concern about institutions encroaching on each other’s functions, describing this trend as convenient but ultimately detrimental. “These calming mechanisms may provide short-term benefits, but they cause untold spinal damage in the long term,” he added.
In a critique of the parliamentary system, Dhankhar questioned the ‘whip’ provision, which mandates party discipline among elected representatives. “Why should there be a whip? It restricts freedom of expression and reduces elected representatives to subservience. Political parties are meant to foster democracy, but do representatives really have the freedom to express themselves? The whip hinders this,” said.