Constitution and the Court(s)

by

Dr. Suhas Palshikar
Professor (Retd.) of Political Science and Chief Editor, Studies in Indian Politics

Date: Friday, October 6, 2023

Time: 06:00 pm

Venue: Lecture Hall Complex 101, IISER Pune

Abstract: Constitutions become ‘living documents’ through their interaction with politics and courts. India’s constitution has similarly interfaced with India’s politics and courts in three distinct ways. The first type is an adversarial relationship with legislature and executive – courts reading the constitution rather strictly-literally, the second is a supplementary relationship – courts reading the constitution broadly and intervening in legislative and executive domains, and the third is marked by a cautious reading leading to the courts often looking at state power and constitution through the eyes of the executive. What are the implications of these different readings for rights and democracy? In the field of rights, this has meant an awkward duality – rights being understood as sacrosanct yet at the same time facing attrition. These developments have possibilities of narrowing the idea of democracy both at the level of practice and principle.

Organised by the HSS Department, IISER Pune in partnership with the P.M. Mukhi Memorial Committee.