In a case of judicial activisim the ex-CEO and Board officials of the Delhi Jal Board (Delhi Water Board) have been sentenced to a 2 day jail sentence for not stopping the sewage flow into the storm water drain.

Justice Dhingra while sentencing the officials said “It is only in this country that citizens have to knock at the doors of court in order to get reliefs of the kind sought here. It only shows with what contempt normal citizens of this country are dealt with by authorities and essential facilities like sewage lines are not maintained by DJB despite repeated complaints of the citizen.”

This is extraordinary in two ways. One, that a judge has taken this strong stance and two, that it requires judiciary to get things done.

Of the three brances of a civil society (lesgislative, political and judiciary), it has always been the judiciary which has to step into the role of legislation. This is unfortunate but when the normal process of democracy fails then somebody needs to take charge.