Mahatma Gandhi’s great-grandson approached the Supreme Court challenging the Rs.1,200 crore Sabarmati Ashram redevelopment project. The plea argues that the project will strip the ashram of its simplicity and transform it into a government-controlled monument. This, he contends, goes against Gandhian values of austerity and non-materialism.
Sanjeev Sanyal, a member of the Prime Minister’s Economic Advisory Council, proposed judges take leave to deliver judgments instead of shutting down the entire judicial system for weeks. He emphasized the need for reform due to the backlog of pending cases. Sanyal’s comments were criticized by the Bar Council of Tamil Nadu and Puducherry, who defended the current judicial system. Economist Shamika Ravi’s study suggested that increasing the number of judgment days would significantly increase the number of judgments delivered.
The Supreme Court on May 12th emphasized the autonomy of municipal elected members, preventing arbitrary removal by civil servants or political leaders. Justices declared that only post-election misconduct warrants removal, unless pre-election misconduct directly relates to the representative and was undetected during nomination. The ruling aims to prevent political or personal bias in decisions.
