{"id":136504,"date":"2024-10-09T16:48:31","date_gmt":"2024-10-09T11:18:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/?post_type=docs&#038;p=136504"},"modified":"2024-12-26T12:14:02","modified_gmt":"2024-12-26T06:44:02","password":"","slug":"judicial-activism-in-india","status":"publish","type":"docs","link":"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/docs\/judicial-activism-in-india","title":{"rendered":"Judicial Activism in India: Balancing Justice and Governance"},"content":{"rendered":"<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/ncert-notes\/judicial-activism-impact\/\"><b>Judicial activism<\/b><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> refers to the <\/span><b>proactive role of the judiciary<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> in protecting citizens&#8217; rights and ensuring justice. It emerged in the <\/span><b>United States in 1947<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> and was later adopted in India by influential judges in the 1970s. This concept empowers judges to <\/span><b>interpret laws flexibly<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, often stepping in when the l<\/span><b>egislative or executive branches fail<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> to uphold their duties. Judicial activism aims to <\/span><b>address societal issues and safeguard constitutional values.<\/b><\/p>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size: 18pt; color: #ff6600;\"><b>Judicial Activism in India<\/b><\/span><\/h2>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size: 16pt;\"><b>Meaning of Judicial Activism<\/b><\/span><\/h3>\n<ul style=\"text-align: justify;\">\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Origin of Judicial Activism: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The concept of judicial activism was first coined by<\/span><b> Arthur Schlesinger Jr. in 1947<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, <\/span><b>originating in the USA<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.\u00a0<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><b>In India<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, the doctrine of judicial activism was introduced in the <\/span><b>mid-1970s<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> by Justices <\/span><b>V.R. Krishna Iyer, P.N. Bhagwati, O. Chinnappa Reddy, and D.A. Desai<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Definition of Judicial Activism:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> The active role of the judiciary in upholding the <\/span><b>rights of citizens and preserving the constitutional and legal system <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">of the country is known as judicial activism.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Proactive Role of the Judiciary:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> It denotes the proactive role played by the judiciary for the protection of the rights of citizens and\u00a0 promotion of justice in the society.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Judicial Obligation: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It implies that the role of the judiciary is to force the other two organs of the government i.e. legislature and executive to do its constitutional obligation.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Judicial Dynamism: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It is also known as <\/span><b>\u201cjudicial dynamism\u201d<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Comparison with Judicial Restraint:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> It works oppositely compared\u00a0 to \u201cjudicial restraint\u201d, which means that the <\/span><b>self-control\u00a0 is exercised by the judiciary<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><i><span class=\"vc_button\"><\/i><a href=\"https:\/\/www.pw.live\/batches\/upsc?utm_source=seo+upsc+batch&#038;utm_medium=seo+upsc&#038;utm_campaign=seo&#038;utm_id=upsc\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><i>Enroll now for UPSC Online Course<\/i><\/a><i><\/span><\/i>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><b>Significance of Judicial Activism<\/b><\/p>\n<ul style=\"text-align: justify;\">\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Exercise of Judicial Power: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It is a way of exercising judicial power which motivates judges to <\/span><b>depart from normally practised strict adherence<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> to judicial precedent in favour of progressive and new social policies<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Protection and Expansion of Individual Rights: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It is the practice to <\/span><b>protect or expand individual rights<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> through decisions that move away\u00a0 from established precedent to have\u00a0 constitutional or legislative intent.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Active Interpretation for Social Betterment: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It denotes an active interpretation of earlier\u00a0 legislation made\u00a0 by a judge to\u00a0 <\/span><b>enhance the utility of that law for social betterment<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Philosophy of Judicial Decision-Making: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It is a philosophy of judicial decision-making where judges\u00a0 are allowed for their<\/span><b> personal views about public policy <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">for guidance to others.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Evolution of Legal Principles:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> It helps to evolve <\/span><b>new principles, concepts, maxims, formulae and relief to do justice .<\/b><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Relation to Public Interest Litigation (PIL): <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Judicial activism is closely related to the concept of <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/pil-full-form\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Public Interest Litigation<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> (PIL).<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size: 16pt;\"><b>Need for Judicial Activism<\/b><\/span><\/h3>\n<ul style=\"text-align: justify;\">\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Failure of the Executive and Legislature: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The failure of the executive and legislatures to deliver the desired results.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Rampant Corruption and Human Rights Violations: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Rampant corruption and violation of basic human rights through the government agencies.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Ineffectiveness of the System: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It occurs because the entire system has been plagued by ineffectiveness and inactiveness.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Degradation of Democratic Principles: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Due to the misuse and abuse of some of the provisions of the Constitution. The principles of democracy were continuously degrading.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Judiciary&#8217;s Role in Preventing Democracy&#8217;s Compromise:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> In such a scenario, the judiciary was forced to play an active role.\u00a0<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It was possible only through an institution like<\/span><b> judiciary <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">which is vested with powers to correct the various wrongs in society.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In order to prevent the compromise of democracy, the<\/span> <a href=\"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/upsc-notes\/supreme-court\/\"><b>Supreme Court<\/b><\/a><b> and <\/b><a href=\"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/upsc-notes\/high-courts-india\/\"><b>High Courts <\/b><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">took the responsibility of solving these problems.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size: 16pt;\"><b>Manifestation of Judicial Activism<\/b><\/span><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li><b>Through Judicial Review<\/b><\/li>\n<li><b>Through Public Interest Litigation<\/b><\/li>\n<li><b>Through Constitutional Interpretation<\/b><\/li>\n<li><b>Through Access to international statutes for ensuring constitutional rights<\/b><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size: 16pt;\"><b>Cases Associated with Judicial Activism<\/b><\/span><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li><b>A.K. Gopalan v. State of Madras (1950)<\/b><\/li>\n<li><b>I. C. Golaknath &#038; Ors vs State Of Punjab &#038; Anrs. (1967)<\/b><\/li>\n<li><b>Kesavananda Bharati case (1973)<\/b><\/li>\n<li><b>Hussainara Khatoon (I) v. State of Bihar (1979)<\/b><\/li>\n<li><b>Sheela Barse v. State of Maharashtra (1983)<\/b><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size: 16pt;\"><b>Judicial Review and Judicial Activism\u00a0<\/b><\/span><\/h3>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-136523 aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/unnamed-19-1.webp\" alt=\"\" width=\"312\" height=\"161\" srcset=\"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/unnamed-19-1.webp 312w, https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/unnamed-19-1-300x155.webp 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 312px) 100vw, 312px\" \/><\/p>\n<ul style=\"text-align: justify;\">\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Differences Between Judicial Review and Judicial Activism: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The concept of judicial review and judicial activism seems closely related to each other, but there are certain differences between them which we can see from the following table.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<table>\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"text-align: center; border-style: solid; border-color: #000000; background-color: #ff5e00;\"><span style=\"color: #ffffff;\"><b>Basis<\/b><\/span><\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: center; border-style: solid; border-color: #000000; background-color: #ff5e00;\"><span style=\"color: #ffffff;\"><b>Judicial Review<\/b><\/span><\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: center; border-style: solid; border-color: #000000; background-color: #ff5e00;\"><span style=\"color: #ffffff;\"><b>Judicial Activism<\/b><\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"border-style: solid; border-color: #000000; background-color: #e9ebe8;\"><b>Definition<\/b><\/td>\n<td style=\"border-style: solid; border-color: #000000; background-color: #e9ebe8;\">\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It is the process where the <\/span><b>judiciary reviews the validity of laws <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">passed by the legislature, so it is called a Judicial Review.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"border-style: solid; border-color: #000000; background-color: #e9ebe8;\">\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It <\/span><b>interprets the Constitution <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">to deal with contemporary issues.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The <\/span><b>Judiciary uses its authority<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> so it is called Judicial Activism.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"border-style: solid; border-color: #000000; background-color: #e9ebe8;\"><b>Goals<\/b><\/td>\n<td style=\"border-style: solid; border-color: #000000; background-color: #e9ebe8;\">\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It reviews the laws which are against <\/span><b>Fundamental Rights<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"border-style: solid; border-color: #000000; background-color: #e9ebe8;\">\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It has the <\/span><b>power to overrule<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> any acts or decisions.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"border-style: solid; border-color: #000000; background-color: #e9ebe8;\"><b>Intent<\/b><\/td>\n<td style=\"border-style: solid; border-color: #000000; background-color: #e9ebe8;\">\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It reviews the <\/span><b>validity of the laws under Article 13<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"border-style: solid; border-color: #000000; background-color: #e9ebe8;\">\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It is the use of <\/span><b>Judicial authority to enforce\u00a0 what is essential\u00a0 for society<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"border-style: solid; border-color: #000000; background-color: #e9ebe8;\"><b>Power<\/b><\/td>\n<td style=\"border-style: solid; border-color: #000000; background-color: #e9ebe8;\">\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Judge uses the power to <\/span><b>protect and\u00a0 enforce Fundamental Rights.<\/b><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"border-style: solid; border-color: #000000; background-color: #e9ebe8;\">\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Judges use their power especially when <\/span><b>constitutional bodies are not acting properly<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"border-style: solid; border-color: #000000; background-color: #e9ebe8;\"><b>Example<\/b><\/td>\n<td style=\"border-style: solid; border-color: #000000; background-color: #e9ebe8;\">\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Striking down of the Section <\/span><b>66A of the IT Act<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> as it was against the Fundamental Rights guaranteed by the Constitution<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"border-style: solid; border-color: #000000; background-color: #e9ebe8;\">\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Mechanisms which have no constitutional backing i.e. <\/span><b>suo-motto<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> (on its own cases) <\/span><b>PIL, new doctrines<\/b><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size: 16pt;\"><b>Justification of Judicial Activism<\/b><\/span><\/h3>\n<ul style=\"text-align: justify;\">\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Reasons for Judicial Activism According to Dr. B.L. Wadehra: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">As per <\/span><b>Dr. B.L. Wadehra<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, judicial activism happens due to the following reasons:<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0Due to the <\/span><b>collapse of the responsible government\u00a0<\/b><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0The citizens expect\u00a0 <\/span><b>protection of their rights and freedoms<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> from the judiciary<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0The judges encourages the <\/span><b>Public Interest Litigation<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> and relaxing the principles of<\/span><b> \u2018Locus Standi\u2019<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> to participate in the social reforms<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Instances of Judicial Overreach According to Subhash Kashyap: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Similarly, <\/span><b>Subhash Kashyap<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> finds out certain events which happens when the<\/span><b> judiciary overstep<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> from its normal jurisdiction and intervene in areas which falls under the domain of the legislature and the executive<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul style=\"text-align: justify;\">\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Legislature fails<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> to discharge its responsibilities.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In the event of a<\/span><b> \u2018hung\u2019 legislature<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0 when the government is unable to take decisions on certain crucial matters due to political considerations.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Political unwillingness<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> to take honest and hard decisions.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">When\u00a0 legislature and\u00a0 executive fails to protect the <\/span><b>basic rights of citizens, like the right to live a decent life<\/b><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">When the court of law is misused by a <\/span><b>strong authoritarian parliamentary party government<\/b><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Also when the courts become\u00a0 victims of weaknesses of craze for <\/span><b>populism and\u00a0 publicity.<\/b><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul style=\"text-align: justify;\">\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Judicial Activism According to Dr. Vandana: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">According to<\/span><b> Dr. Vandana,<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> judicial activism can be seen from the following aspects,<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Enhancement of the<\/span><b> right to be heard in the administrative procedure<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><b>No\u00a0 limitation<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> for Excessive delegation<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Judicial control over <\/span><b>discretionary powers<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><b>Judicial review over the administration<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Encouragement of <\/span><b>Open government<\/b><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Excessive <\/span><b>use of power of Contempt<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Exercise of jurisdiction when non-exist.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><b>Excessive interpretation of rules <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0in its search to achieve economic, social and educational objectives.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size: 16pt;\"><b>\u00a0Apprehension of Judicial Activism<\/b><\/span><\/h3>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\" wp-image-136524 aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/unnamed-20.webp\" alt=\"\" width=\"524\" height=\"307\" srcset=\"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/unnamed-20.webp 909w, https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/unnamed-20-300x176.webp 300w, https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/unnamed-20-768x450.webp 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 524px) 100vw, 524px\" \/><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size: 14pt;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0<\/span><b>JUDICIAL ACTIVISM\u00a0 VS JUDICIAL RESTRAINT<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-136526 aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/unnamed-21.webp\" alt=\"\" width=\"328\" height=\"153\" srcset=\"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/unnamed-21.webp 328w, https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/unnamed-21-300x140.webp 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 328px) 100vw, 328px\" \/><\/p>\n<table>\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"text-align: center; border-style: solid; border-color: #000000; background-color: #ff5e00;\"><span style=\"color: #ffffff;\"><b>Judicial Activism<\/b><\/span><\/td>\n<td style=\"text-align: center; border-style: solid; border-color: #000000; background-color: #ff5e00;\"><span style=\"color: #ffffff;\"><b>Judicial Restraint<\/b><\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"border-style: solid; border-color: #000000; background-color: #e9ebe8;\">\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It relates to\u00a0 those activities of Judges where they<\/span><b> carry\u00a0 out their duties<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, and go beyond the <\/span><b>strict judicial function<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> and enter into the <\/span><b>political policymaking areas<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"border-style: solid; border-color: #000000; background-color: #e9ebe8;\">\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It relates to\u00a0 those activities of Judges where <\/span><b>\u00a0Judges hesitate to strike down the laws<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> unless they\u00a0 seem to be unconstitutional.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"border-style: solid; border-color: #000000; background-color: #e9ebe8;\">\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This concept <\/span><b>loosely interprets and applies to\u00a0 the Constitution<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> based on ongoing changes and the values.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"border-style: solid; border-color: #000000; background-color: #e9ebe8;\">\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This concept follows a <\/span><b>strict interpretation of the Constitution <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">and believes judges should also follow the President.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"border-style: solid; border-color: #000000; background-color: #e9ebe8;\">\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It is decided when the case it believes to be the <\/span><b>spirit of the Constitution<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> and willing to overturn legislation.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<td style=\"border-style: solid; border-color: #000000; background-color: #e9ebe8;\">\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It is decided when the case is on the <\/span><b>\u201cletter\u201dof the Constitution<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, it usually gives legislation the benefit of doubt.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size: 16pt;\"><b>Judicial Overreach<\/b><\/span><\/h3>\n<ul style=\"text-align: justify;\">\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Definition of Judicial Overreach: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Judicial overreach refers to instances <\/span><b>where the judiciary, beyond its constitutional mandate<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, becomes excessively active in policymaking or infringes upon the domain of the executive and legislative branches.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Thin Line Between Judicial Activism and Judicial Overreach: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">There is a thin line dividing judicial activism and judicial overreach.\u00a0<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">When Judicial Activism goes overboard, and becomes Judicial Adventurism, it is referred to as Judicial Overreach.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Causes of Judicial Overreach:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> The direct effect of <\/span><b>legislative and executive negligence<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> or <\/span><b>inability is &#8220;judicial overreach&#8221;<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size: 16pt;\"><b>Impact of Judicial Overreach<\/b><\/span><\/h3>\n<ul style=\"text-align: justify;\">\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Threat to the Doctrine of Separation of Powers: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It threatens the doctrine of separation of powers which <\/span><b>undermines the spirit of the constitution.\u00a0<\/b><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Lack of Harmony Between Legislature and Judiciary: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">There is a lack of harmony between legislature and judiciary and an impression on the public of inaction by the legislature.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Need for Expertise in Certain Cases:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> In certain cases like that of environmental, ethical, political, expert knowledge is required which the judiciary might not possess.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Risks of Judgements Without Expertise: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If it renders judgement while having no experience in these domains, then it not only undermines<\/span><b> expert knowledge<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> but also can<\/span><b> prove harmful to the country.<\/b><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: justify;\"><b>Examples of Judicial overreach<\/b><\/h3>\n<ul style=\"text-align: justify;\">\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Censorship of the Film Jolly LLB II:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0 The film portrayed the <\/span><b>legal profession as a joke<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, making it an act of contempt and provocation<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>The Supreme Court Banned the Sale of Liquor:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> On a PIL about road safety, the Supreme Court banned the Sale of Liquor, at retail shops, restaurants, bars within 500m of any national or state highway.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size: 16pt;\"><b>Supreme Court&#8217;s Call for Judicial Restraint<\/b><\/span><\/h3>\n<ul style=\"text-align: justify;\">\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Reminder for Judicial Restraint: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Supreme Court has itself reminded other courts, in 2007, to practise Judicial restraint.\u00a0<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><b>Importance of Modesty and Humility: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It stated<\/span><b> &#8220;Judges must know their limits and must try not to run the government. They must have modesty and humility, and not behave like emperors.&#8221;<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><b>Caution Against Judicial Overreach: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Further, it said, &#8220;In the name of judicial activism, judges cannot cross their limits and try to take over states which belong to another organ of the state&#8221;.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><i><span class=\"vc_button\"><\/i><a href=\"https:\/\/www.pw.live\/batches\/upsc?utm_source=seo+upsc+batch&#038;utm_medium=seo+upsc&#038;utm_campaign=seo&#038;utm_id=upsc\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><i>Enroll now for UPSC Online Course<\/i><\/a><i><\/span><\/i>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<table style=\"width: 99.8573%; height: 120px;\">\n<tbody>\n<tr style=\"height: 30px;\">\n<td style=\"width: 369.871%; height: 30px; border-style: solid; border-color: #000000; background-color: #ff5e00; text-align: center;\" colspan=\"2\"><span style=\"color: #ffffff;\"><b>Must Read<\/b><\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr style=\"height: 30px;\">\n<td style=\"width: 50.3942%; height: 30px; text-align: center; border-style: solid; border-color: #000000; background-color: #e9ebe8;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/current-affairs\/\"><b>Current Affairs<\/b><\/a><\/td>\n<td style=\"width: 319.477%; height: 30px; text-align: center; border-style: solid; border-color: #000000; background-color: #e9ebe8;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/editorial-analysis\/\"><b>Editorial Analysis<\/b><\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr style=\"height: 30px;\">\n<td style=\"width: 50.3942%; height: 30px; text-align: center; border-style: solid; border-color: #000000; background-color: #e9ebe8;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/upsc-notes\"><b>Upsc Notes\u00a0<\/b><\/a><\/td>\n<td style=\"width: 319.477%; height: 30px; text-align: center; border-style: solid; border-color: #000000; background-color: #e9ebe8;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/blogs\/\"><b>Upsc Blogs\u00a0<\/b><\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr style=\"height: 30px;\">\n<td style=\"width: 50.3942%; height: 30px; text-align: center; border-style: solid; border-color: #000000; background-color: #e9ebe8;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/ncert-notes\/\"><b>NCERT Notes<\/b><\/a><b>\u00a0<\/b><\/td>\n<td style=\"width: 319.477%; height: 30px; text-align: center; border-style: solid; border-color: #000000; background-color: #e9ebe8;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/mains-answer-writing\/\"><b>Free Main Answer Writing<\/b><\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-size: 18pt;\"><b>Conclusion<\/b><\/span><\/h2>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Judicial activism plays a vital role in <\/span><b>promoting justice and protecting individual rights<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> in India.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<ul style=\"text-align: justify;\">\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">While it empowers the judiciary to intervene when <\/span><b>other branches of government fail<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, it also raises concerns about <\/span><b>judicial overreach<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Striking a<\/span><b> balance between activism and restraint <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">is essential to maintain the integrity of the judicial system and uphold the principles of democracy.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><b><i>Sign up for the<\/i><\/b><a href=\"https:\/\/www.pw.live\/batches\/upsc?utm_source=seo+upsc+batch&#038;utm_medium=seo+upsc&#038;utm_campaign=seo&#038;utm_id=upsc\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"> <b><i>PWOnlyIAS Online Course by Physics Wallah<\/i><\/b><\/a><b><i> and start your journey to IAS success today!<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n<table style=\"width: 99.8901%;\">\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 207.365%; border-style: solid; border-color: #000000; background-color: #ff5e00; text-align: center;\" colspan=\"2\"><span style=\"color: #ffffff;\"><b>Related Articles\u00a0<\/b><\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 49.848%; text-align: center; border-style: solid; border-color: #000000; background-color: #e9ebe8;\"><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/pil-full-form\/\">PIL Full Form- Public Interest Litigation<\/a><\/strong><\/td>\n<td style=\"width: 157.517%; text-align: center; border-style: solid; border-color: #000000; background-color: #e9ebe8;\"><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/upsc-notes\/high-courts-india\/\">High Courts in India<\/a><\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 49.848%; text-align: center; border-style: solid; border-color: #000000; background-color: #e9ebe8;\"><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/ncert-notes\/judicial-activism-impact\/\">Judicial Activism: Empowering Rights &#038; Impact on Democracy<\/a><\/strong><\/td>\n<td style=\"width: 157.517%; text-align: center; border-style: solid; border-color: #000000; background-color: #e9ebe8;\"><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/upsc-notes\/supreme-court\/\">Supreme Court<\/a><\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Learn about the importance of judicial activism in India, its function in defending citizens&#8217; rights, and the difficulties associated with judicial overreach to help in your UPSC Exam preparation.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":38,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"rank_math_lock_modified_date":false,"footnotes":""},"doc_category":[122],"doc_tag":[5939],"acf":[],"year_month":"2026-04","word_count":1688,"total_views":0,"reactions":{"happy":0,"normal":0,"sad":0},"author_info":{"name":"Priyanka","author_nicename":"priyanka6","author_url":"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/author\/priyanka6"},"doc_category_info":[{"term_name":"INDIAN POLITY","term_url":"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/docs-category\/indian-polity"}],"doc_tag_info":[{"term_name":"Judicial Activism","term_url":"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/docs-tag\/judicial-activism"}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/docs\/136504"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/docs"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/docs"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/38"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=136504"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/docs\/136504\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":148789,"href":"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/docs\/136504\/revisions\/148789"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=136504"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"doc_category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/doc_category?post=136504"},{"taxonomy":"doc_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pwonlyias.com\/stage\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/doc_tag?post=136504"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}