Outlook for India's judiciary.
Sharad Arvind Bobde last month succeeded Ranjan Gogoi as chief justice. Before retiring from the Supreme Court, Gogoi announced verdicts in several important cases, including a dispute over a religious site in which the Court favoured a Hindu claimant. That particular outcome was a fillip for Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government, which strongly promotes majoritarian Hindu values.
The Modi government will try to implement the National Register of Citizens across India, stoking religious tensions.
The Supreme Court’s response to petitions challenging Modi’s Kashmir move will show how far it is willing to confront the executive.
Obligation on the chief justice to disclose nominations for higher judicial appointments may breed greater confidence in India’s judiciary.
