India Political Observations, supreme court

A flurry of events last week in India were interesting to watch, for what it indicates about the advanced nature of this democracy, and the way in which politicians' behavior is similar everywhere.

The Supreme Court recently handed down a decision that was quite unpopular, at least for most politicians, in public: the constitution guarantees equal rights, and just justifies set-asides (here called "reservations") for minorities in various institutions. The Supreme Court declared that the current law cannot require quotas for private colleges that receive no government funding.

Well, this set almost every legislator on fire, with each trying to outdo the next in speeches proclaiming the stupidity of the court and the need for quick legislative action to rein in those elitist judges and ensure equal rights for all our citizens and also to regulate those independent (perhaps unlicensed, and thus vaguely unsavory) private institutions, too!

The next day, the Times of India headlines the Chief Justice's response, that if the legislature feels so strongly, then "you might as well wind up the courts" (that is, eliminate the judiciary altogether)!

Another day or two of blustering by various politicos, about the need for urgent legislative action to repair this insult to every right-thinking red-blooded son of Mahatma Gandhi.


Then, yesterday, the federal Minister for Education (or some such title), announced rather quietly (no headlines, just a story tucked in the middle of the nightly news on TV) that any new legislation would be first sent to each
of the states for their review and comment. That is typically synonymous
with sending the bill to committee, to languish quietly until the next public crisis.

The public blustering is probably accentuated by the fact that it is a multi-party democracy; so each small party has to grab the microphone every chance it can get, then the two major parties need to respond, to show that they also have the interest of the people at heart.
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And now, a couple photos of flowers blooming outside our house.