The New Indian Leviathan

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Heil Hobbes! A new Indian Leviathan is emerging. The third pillar of the great Indian democracy is astir and the effect is being felt by the other pillars. The first occasion perhaps was the by now famous Keshavananda Bharathi case where the Indian Supreme Court said there are certain basic features of the statute that cannot be tinkered and tampered by the first pillar, though the second pillar might extend all support to it. The next important milestone was when the apex court ruled it could and would enquire into the justifications of taking over the administration, by the Central Government, of any State. This had happened a little too frequently before the third pillar reminded the first two of its existence. During all these occasions the fourth pillar had, unfortunately, given the impression of going along with the first two. The first two had not realised till then that the third was nourishing other intentions and it was taking itself too seriously. The Leviathan was taking form and shape, albeit slowly. The Sardar Sarovar and Narmada dam issue suddenly gave a little more muscle to form that was emerging. The third pillar asserted itself, it seemed, a little too assertively in brushing aside resettlement and rehabilitation issues and the overall question of the wisdom of mammoth water storages, though a few were constructed in the fifties and a little later. Next came the forest brigand Veerappan issue and here the Leviathan seemed to blossom into full view. Comments like "if you cannot maintain and law and order, you had better quit and make way for someone else who could", sounded a little strange, though everybody agreed the administrations fully asked for them. Some wondered too, if it was any business of the third pillar to hand down this obiter dicta. Very soon followed another fully deserved indictment of the Delhi administration in its handling, or rather its not handling, of the polluting industries question. Again, the fourth pillar seemed not to have exerted itself fully in this issue also, till the third has stepped in. Well, among all these happenings, the new Indian Leviathan is at a critical juncture just now to prove that it does not have feet of clay after all and that Ram Jethmalani's usual bluster will not leave anyone spellbound this time. SEND US YOUR FEEDBACK ABOUT THIS ARTICLE: Feedback Form Your Name: Your Email: Details:   ? GAMES LINKS FREE INDIA DOWNLOADS JOKES HOROSCOPES ECARDS POLL

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