Judiciary handled interference bid properly: Lalit

One-liner: Former CJI U U Lalit said the judiciary has faced instances of attempts at interference but dealt with them appropriately to ensure its independence.

Rule of law: He said in order to have a thriving democracy, one must have an independent judiciary because it is through dispute resolution that society is assured of governance by the rule of law.

Various challenges: "There are various challenges that the judiciary has to face today," he said, asserting, "therefore, we have to be strong as a judicial fraternity."

Executive interference: Speaking at a symposium on 'Independent judiciary: Critical for a vibrant democracy' held by the Bharat Chamber of Commerce,, he said there have been instances of court decisions subjected to executive interference, but these have been appropriately dealt with ensuring the independence of the judiciary.

Attributes: The former CJI said attributes of independence of the judiciary are impartiality, fairness in action, reasonableness and complete integrity for the purpose of dispute resolution.

• Holding there should be no outside interference with the functioning of the judiciary, he said a number of articles in the Constitution ensure there is no interference in the functioning of every individual judge or the judiciary in general

Moral imperative: SC judge Hima Kohli said the independence of the judiciary is not just a principle but a moral imperative.

Can't be overstated: "The relevance of an independent judiciary can't be overstated, especially in a country like ours which is not just a democratic republic; it has been described in the Constitution as a sovereign, socialist, secular and democratic republic," she said.