By Harshmeet Singh
The year 2015 can be rightly termed as the 'year of judicial activism.' With the Parliament facing disruptions all through the year, it was the Supreme Court that assumed the leading role in driving the country forward.
Before we enter into 2016 with high hopes, NewsGram brings you the seven most path-breaking judgments given by the Supreme Court in 2015.
With an aim to appease the Jat community, the central government listed them under the OBC category in 9 states, giving them reservations in government jobs and educational institutes. Not pleased with this populist step, the Supreme Court struck down the government notification and sense prevailed.
Section 66A of the Indian IT Act was nothing short of draconian. It was widely used by the police to arrest innocent people for criticizing politicians online. The SC called it a violation of the fundamental right of liberty and freedom of expression and termed it 'unconstitutional.'
This year's AIPMT was filled with allegations of cheating and fraud. Close to six and a half lakh aspirants appeared for the examination. While the CBSE argued that it will exclude the sheets of those found involved in cheating, rather than conducting the exam again, the SC didn't buy this excuse. The judges said, "if such an examination is saved, merit would be a casualty generating a sense of frustration in genuine students, with aversion to the concept of examination."
NJAC, which sought to take away the judiciary's right to appoint judges to the High Court and the Supreme Court, remained in the news for the better part of the year. In October, the SC struck down the NJAC and called it 'unconstitutional and void.' The presiding judge said, "It is difficult to hold that the wisdom of appointment of judges can be shared with the political-executive. In India, the organic development of civil society, has not as yet sufficiently evolved. The expectation from the judiciary, to safeguard the rights of the citizens of this country, can only be ensured, by keeping it absolutely insulated and independent, from the other organs of governance."
Ever since its inception, the IPL has been marred with serious allegations of spot fixing and match fixing. The SC-appointed panel suspended CSK and RR from IPL for a couple of years since their owners were found guilty of betting on the games and leaking the team's information to the bookers.
In March this year, SC sentenced Yakub Abdul Razak Memon to death for his role in the 1993 Mumbai serial blasts. Though he followed it up a number of review petitions, curative petitions, and mercy pleas, he was eventually hanged on 30th July 2015 in the Nagpur Jail. His death sentence was widely opposed by a number of social groups which accused the court and the government of being unfair to him.
Putting on hold the Maharashtra Government's ban on Mumbai's dance bars, the Supreme Court allowed the dance bars to be reopened. Along with this, the SC also empowered the concerned authorities to regulate the dance performances which they find inappropriate.