011_Access to Justice in a Globalised Economy

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ILI Golden Jubilee 1956-2006

Inaugural Function

A C C E S S T O J U S T I C E I N A G L O B A L IS E D E C O N O M Y :

S O M E R E F L E C T I O N S

Upendra Baxi

I

I t i s i ndeed a ve ry g rea t honour t o have been inv i t ed t o t h i s occas ion . To use t he i d iom o f t he p resen t

sess ion , I wou ld l i ke t o t hank a l l t he se rv i ce p rov ide rs , i ndependen t o r

otherwise,

who have g iven m e access t o

this session

1

H o w e v e r s p e a k i n g f o r

myself,

s imply because I may never dare in my f in i te l i fe t ime to speak for my

d i s t i ngu i shed f r i end Madhava Menon , I m us t a t t he ou t se t say t ha t i t wou ld be who l ly unbecom ing fo r m e even

to t h ink tha t I m ay in any way rep resen t t he com m uni ty o f t h inke rs and re sea rche rs who have nou r i shed the

Ind ian Law Ins t i t u t e , and th rough i t con t r i bu t ed no t m ere ly t o t he rena i ssance o f Ind i an l ega l educa t ion and

resea rch bu t a l so o f t he Ind i an ways o f l awyer ing , and ju s t i c ing . Even though the ove ra l l con fe rence t im e was

l im i t ed , I canno t he lp say ing ou t r i gh t t ha t we shou ld have found som e scope fo r t he d ign i ty o f vo i ce and

rep re sen t a t i on f ro m Ind ia ' s l ead ing w om en an d fem in i s t l ega l / ju r i s t i c scho la rs and fo r a fu r the r r i che r d ive rs i ty

o f scho la r ly t rad i t i ons t o sym bo l i ze t he ach i evem en t o f t he ILI .

I do hope tha t t ha t t he In s t i t u t e w i l l o rgan ize a se r i e s o f na t i ona l and reg iona l sem ina rs and sym pos i a on

i t s Go lden Jub i l ee Year . I a l so hope tha t t he In s t i t u t e w i l l f i nd i t poss ib l e t o honour t he found ing d i rec to rs ,

P ro fesso r A .T . M ark ose , G .S . Sha rm a , M .P. Ja in , and S .N . Ja in , am on g the m , by a spec i a l c om m em ora t ive

pub l i ca t i on

2

. No t t o do so wou ld be t o im pede fu tu re access t o p ionee r ing v i s ions and l eade rsh ip p rac t i ces i n

regene ra t i ng na t ion a l l ega l re sea rch cu l tu res . Wel l m ay w e ask : W ha t m ay we l ea rn i n ou r p r esen t fa il u re s f rom

the i r success s to r ie s? An d inde ed wh a t m ay we a l so l ea rn f rom wh ere t hey p rec i se ly fa il ed t o ach i eve wh a t t hey

se t ou t t o acco m p l i sh? Such ref l ex iv it y a lone rem a ins t he bes t a ssu rance fo r fu tu re rena i ssance o f t he Ind i an

Law In s t i t u t e . Le t i t be fu lly reca l l ed tha t t he In s t i t u t e was ha i l ed by Dr s . Ra j end ra P rasa d an d K .M . Mu ns h i i n

t e rm s o f i ts fu tu re po t en t i a l ; wh i l e t he In s t i t u t e p rov ides an i nes t im ab le re so u rc e o f i n t im a te con vers a t i on

be tw een acade m ics , l awper sons , and apex Jus t i ces , t he Go l de n Jub i l ee occas ion o ug h t t o p rov ide scop e fo r a

fu l l e r unde rs t and ing o f t he o r ig ina l founda t iona l p rom ise and con tem pora ry pe r i l .

Professor of Law, University of Warwick; formerly Vice-Chancellor and Professor of Law, University of Delhi.

[email protected].

This exigency of

a

public presentation m eant tha t I had to expunge m any parts of the original text , which I no w h ere

reintroduce somewhat, in part ial modification of the plenary address delivered on August 5, 2006. I include some

additional extempore remarks, rectify an egregious error in the original presentation, and clarify some points of the

presentation. However, the 'basic structure ' of the presentation remains intact .

This volume may also hono ur others emine nt scholars such as Professors R.U. Singh (Lucknow), P.K. Tripathi and

K. Ram aswa my (Delhi) Anandjee, Ben aras), T.S. Ram a Rao (Madras) and B.S. M urhty (Vizag), S.N. Saraf (Jammu)

and S. K. Agarwala and S.P Sathe (Pune), no t here to me ntion the names of such eminen t scholars as J. D. M. Dun ca n

Derretí , Anthony Blackshield, Marc Galanter, Dieter Conrad, Lotika Sarkar, who I had the honour to invite as the

ILI distinguished research fellows

mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]


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Inaugural Function

II

Al low m e to m ake one gene ra l and ex t ended p re l im ina ry rem ark conce rn ing the ove ra l l t hem e o f t h i s

Confe rence : 'Equ i ty and Equa l i t y i n a Marke t Econom y. '

Th i s i s i nde ed a puzz l ing t he m e bec ause c en t ra l t o t he no t io n o f t he m ark e t i tse l f a re two in s t i t u t i ons o f

law: the r ight to private property , in a l l i t s sacrosa nct i ty , over the me an s of pr od uc t io n an d the r ight of free dom

to con t ra c t . Bo th t h ese no t io ns pu t t oge the r s i gni fy t he Ru le by Cap i t a l , no t any conc ep t ion o f t he Ru le o f Law

guide d by equi ty and equal ity , conceived e i the r const i tu t ional ly or in terms of basic hu m an r ights and fund am ental

f reedom s . O nc e we accep t t he r i gh t t o p r iva t e p ro pe r ty i n t he m e ans o f p ro du c t ion , we a l so acc ep t m ore o r l e ss

the ri gh t o f t he b il l iona i re s to rem a in supe r - r i ch and the p l i gh t o f t he m o s t im pov er i sh ed to be supe r -poo r . We

fu r the r accep t t ha t bo th t he f reedom to own p rope r ty and f reedom o f con t rac t im p lv t he

right to inflict lawful

harm on others.

T he e l egan t exp re ss ion 'm arke t eco nom y ' concea l s m or e t han it revea l s. To und e rs t an d it ra the r fu lly , we

n e e d t o g r a s p t h e d i s t i n c t i o n b e t w e e n p r o d u c t i o n a n d s e d u c t i o n . T h e F r e n c h p o s t m o d e r n i s t t h i n k e r J e a n

Braud i l l a rd , i n h i s sm a l l m onograph

The Mirror of Pr oduction,

educa t ed u s in t he m ea n in g o f t h i s d i s t i nc t i on :

p roduc t ion m akes i nv i s ib l e t h ings

visible;

i n con t ra s t seduc t ion m akes t he p rev ious ly v i s ib l e t h ings

invisible.

W e

m u s t su re ly a sk w ha t t he Ind i an Con sn t u t io n t hus p r od uc ed and the seduc t ion now en t a i l ed i n t he cu r ren t A ge

of Refo rm s . '

F o r one t h ing , t he l abours o f Ind i an cons t i t u t i on -m akers m ade fu l l y l eg ib l e m any con t rad i c t i ons be tween

soc i a l , econom ic , and po l i t i ca l l i fe , abou t wh ich Babasaheb Am bedkar spoke abou t so m ov ing ly a t t he m om en t

o f t he adop t ion o f t he Cons t i t u t i on . H i s speech conce rn ing the ' l i fe o f con t rad i c t i ons ' f requen t ly ado rns t he

d i scou rse o f t he Supre m e C ou r t o f Ind i a . Th ese co n t rad i c t i on s were speci fi ca ll y h igh l igh t ed by the p r oc l am a t ion

o f t he va lues o f equ i t ab l e soc i a l deve lopm en t i n a pos t co lon i a l Ind i a pa i red w i th a g rudg ing in se r t i on o f

Ar t i c l e 31 r i gh t s t o p r iva t e p rope r ty . The h i s to ry o f j ud i c i a l i n t e rp re t a t i on and cons t i t u t i ona l am endm en t s

—

from the F i rs t to the Forty

7

F o ur t h am e nd m e n t— arc h iv es fu lly t he ende avou r t o regu la t e p r iva t e p ro pe r ty i n t he

m eans o f p roduc t ion i n t he nam e o f equ i ty and equa l i t y o f fe red by s t a t e regu la t i on . True , t he 44

t h

a m e n d m e n t

f inal ly abol i shed the r ight to property , or ra ther demoted i t to a s ta tus of merely a const i tu t ional r ight . But th is

cam e too l a te and con s t i t u t ed t oo l it tl e t o se rve t he cause o f equa li ty and equ i ty i n cons t i t u t i ona l dev e lop m e n t .

I c a n n o t p u r s u e t h i s e n o r m o u s n a r r a t i v e

toda}',

save t o rem ind us a l l t ha t t he Ind i an Suprem e Cour t has now

ful ly reverted to i t s ad judicatory pol icy s tance in the f i rs t three decades of Indian const i tu t ional in terpre ta t ion

which en t renched con t rac t and p rope r ty above a l l fundam en ta l r i gh t s . F ive ou t o f t he s ix s to r i e s t ha t I p re sen t

later fully i l lustrate this trend.

T h e sedu c t ion occu rs whe n the p re am bu la to r y va lues , t he funda m en ta l r i gh t s o f t he m a sses o f I nd i an

im po ver i sh ed , and the D i rec t i ve P r inc ip le s o f S t a t e P o li cy , and F und am en ta l Du t i e s o f a ll Ci t i zens , a re ren de re d

re la t ive ly i nv i s ib l e by apex po l i cy -m akers and sum m i t Jus t i ces a l ike . T he Di rec t i ves i n pa r t i cu l a r rep re sen t a

v i s ion o f cons t i t u t i ona l deve lopm en t i l l - su i t ed t o t he con tem pora ry e ra o f econom ic re fo rm s .

We have be en a sked va r ious ly , how ever , a t t he i naugura l occ as ion yes t e rday the ways i n wh ich Ind i an l ega l

educa t ion , re sea rch , and p ro fes s ion , even the j ud ic i a ry , m ay se rv i ce t he need s o f g loba l i sed m arke t . Th e l ea rn ed

P r im e Min i s t e r u rged us t o rea l i ze t ha t t he ' l ega l wor ld has becom e a g loba l v i l l age ' and tha t g loba l i sa t i on

s ign if ie s vas t oppor tun i t i e s fo r u s al l t o bec om e wo r ld - c l a s s p l aye rs in t he g loba l 'm ark e t s o f l aw ' He u rg ed us

to improve ' the qual i ty- of publ ic d iscourse ' to serve the 'needs of the count ry . ' But overa l l these needs remained

defined and described in terms of India as a g lobal market p layer . In effec t , the learned Prime Minis ter , and

H o n o u r a b l e L a w M i n i s t e r a s k e d l a w s t u d e n t s , t e a c h e r s , a n d p r o f e s s i o n a l s , n o t s o m u c h t o b e c o m e

soldiers of


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Inaugural Function

justice

bu t ra th er to ac t as the

cohorts

of global capitalism.

A t l eas t, t ha t i s how I rece ived the i r en t ire ly und e rs t and ab le m essage I su spec t on a c lo se l i s t en ing o f t he

speech o f t he l eaned Ch ie f Ju s t i ce t ha t he m ay have had som e pa r t i a l cavea t s t o o f fe r bu t I rem a in unsu re and

reques t you r coopera t i on i n unde rs t and ing h i s sub t ex t s a l i t t l e be t t e r .

I s i nce re ly hope tha t I am en t i re ly wrong in rece iv ing the ove ra l l m essage o f t he i naugura l se ss ion t ha t

con ta ine d tw o ra the r con t r ad i c to r y m e ssage s : t he ru l e o f l aw shou ld rem a in g loba l cap i t a l f r iend ly a s we l l as

hu m an r igh t s f ri end ly . I s im p ly do no t know, no r c an no t t e ll , how th i s m ay eve r be ac com pl i shed . I w i l l have t o

ex i t t h i s t hem at i c now, g iven the t im e-cons t ra in t s , bu t I hope t ha t wha t now fo l lows m ay pe rhaps i l l u s t ra t e t he

oxym oron ic na tu re o f t he p r inc ipa l t hem e o f ou r d i scuss ion .

I l l

Let me a t the very outse t say that the term 'access to just ice ' i s as myst ica l as the expression 'g lobal i sed

econom y. '

Ca re fu l reade rs o f t he recend y d i sco nc lud ed W T O D oh a Rou nd wil l su re ly sha re t h i s pe rc ep t ion . O n e o f

t h e k e y c a t e g o r i e s t h e r e i n v o l v e d w a s N A M A — ' N o n - A g r i c u l t u r a l M a r k e t A c c e s s ' — a r m i n g a t w o r l d w i d e

e l im ina t ion o f t a r i ff and non - t a r i f f ba r r i e rs on f ree t rade . As we know, t he US-b ased Z er o Ta r i ff Coa l i t i on

chai red bv an execut ive from Dow Chemical , demanded zero tar i ffs in a large number of crucia l sec tors including

even spo r t i n g go od s , toys , w oo d m ach inen - , and w oo d p rodu c t s As so m e c r i t ic s exp la in th i s , N A M A ' is a

d ream veh ic l e for co r po r a t i on s seek ing a g loba l ro l l back o f t axes and regu la t i ons . ' A s we a l so know, t he G 90 (a

g rou p ing o f t he W T O 's 90 % po ore s t na t i ons ) exp resse d al l k inds o f fea rs conc e rn ing the r isk t ha t unb r id l ed

g loba l com pe t i t i on m ay pose t o t he i r i n fan t i ndus t r i e s and sm a l l f i rm s . They a r t i cu l a t ed app rehens ions t ha t

ze ro t ar i ff wo u ld e sca l a t e fu r the r t he c r is is o f d e - indus t r i a l i za t i on , une m plo ym en t and pov e r ty and re su l t i n a

k ind o f ' s ea rch and des t roy m i ss ion ' fo r na tu ra l re sou rces i nhe ren t i n NAMA as p rom oted by g loba l cap i t a l .

They p roposed va r ious m easu res ca l l i ng fo r i n fo rm a t ion l abe l l i ng , expor t re s t r i c t i ons on na tu ra l re sou rces , and

sus t a inab l e p ro duc e rs be ing ' dum pe d ' on by chea p im por t s and in ef fec t fo r a r t icu l a t i on o f ' popu la r sove re ign ty '

over the r ight to regula te market access .

The no t ion o f ' g loba l i sed econom y ' t hen s ign i f i e s new fo rm s

of predation

by g lobal capi ta l . Global i sa t ion

he re re fers t o a ne w fo rm o f

colonisation without colonisers;

pu t ano the r way , a new fo rm o f wha t I desc r ibe

e l sewhere a s

'conquest globalisation

I t s earl ier forms consis ted in d i recdy

visible

an d m ass ive app r op r i a t i on o f

t e r r it o r i e s, re sou r ces , and peop les ; t he cu r re n t i nca rna t ion re m a ins even m or e s in i s te r because t he s im il a r p l anne d

a p p r o p r i a t i o n i s r e n d e r e d a l m o s t

invisible.

The t a sk o f c r i t i que conce rn ing so -ca l l ed g loba l i sed econom y cons i s t s i n dev i s ing h i s to r i ca l l y accu ra t e

ways t ha t e s t abHsh a com m on iden t i t y ' be tween the Eas t Ind i a Com pany and i t s l e tha l l i nea l descendan t s , t he

c o n t e m p o r a r y p e r s o n i f i c a t i o n s o f m u l t i n a t i o n a l c a p i t a l, v i a t h e M N C s a n d t h e i r n o r m a t i v e c o h o r t s , t h e

In t e rn a t ion a l F inanc i a l In s t i t u t i ons . Th ese n ow use t he l anguages o f access and c l a im tha t such access rem a ins

essen t ia l t o ach i evem en t o f g loba l j u s ti ce T he t a sks o f hu m an r igh t s and new soc i a l m ov em en t s a l so the re by

s t and de f ined by the s logan :

Justice consists

in a

resolute

denial of such access.

T he m assive d i ff icu l ties co nfron t ing th is task s tand s pose d by wh at Profes sor Lesl ie Sklai r nam es insight fu lly

as t he ' new un ive rsa l g loba l i s ing m idd le c l a ss , ' a segm en t o f wh ich s t ands he re a ssem bled a t t h i s Confe rence .

We a l l seem , a lm os t w i thou t excep t ion , t o be l i eve t ha t t he new fo rm o f conques t g loba l i sa t i on i s a

good thing,


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Inaugural

Function

after all . We all use co m puters , cell ph one s, the interne t, the I-Pod, the DVDs, and related devices. We all

believe that that the digital and b iotech revolution remain more emancipative than the 'socialist ' revolutions of the

yesteryear. We all have stories to tell about how access to cyberspace facilitates the formation of new human

rights and social ac tion /m ov em en t solidarities. A nd we believe that if con temp orary techn ologies of globalisation

create new problems, these at the same moment remain endowed with the future prowess of techofixes that

will necessarily solve these. In this, we remain consciously or otherwise

juristic/

juridical/'judicial

technophiles,

in

turn promoting forms of techno-politics as a crucial dimension of the so-called 'good governance. ' Through all

these, and related mo ves, uncritically celebrating the 'globalized eco nom y' in everyday action we rema in c omp licit

with conquest globalization.

We all are constantly fed with the propaganda that the 'network society' aided by the digital revolutions

facilitates access to sources of information hitherto previously unimaginable and if there may exist any digital

divides, proc esses are already unde r way to bridge or at least abridge it. Like all pro pa ga nd a, this rep rese nts a

kernel of truth

3

. But also by the same token this also overstates the claims of equal access to knowledge and

information in cyberspace. As the illuminating corpus of Professor Manuel Castells shows, the rise of the

network society may not always favour access to ustice; in fact, it may indeed pro m ote forms of global violence

and injustice. And Professor Peter Drahos alerts us, indwells in the infinite

promise

of democratisation of

information also

the peril oí

some new orders of

'informationalfeudalism'

Ev en wh en lacking the luxury of time on this occasion to elaborate in any detail the prom ise and the peril

of the new

informational capitalism

now firmly in place, please allow me to make one remark: the d om inant in civil

society and the state in so many domains of the so-called 'globalised economy' simply, starkly, and with vast

orders of politics of cruelty, trum p the hum an rights claims of the dom inated; vast masse s of h um an beings

remain condemned to a preoccupat ion merely with cheating their ways into daily survival. Put simply, they

remain simply, and unconscionably, priced out of the constantly otherwise expansive globalised 'access talk.'

Co ntem pora ry globalisation assumes m any forms , where legal and judicial globalisation play a major role.

Legal globalisation consists of many 'things.' It signifies the modernization of the metropolitan legal profession,

lending it a competitive edge in the world m arkets for legal services. In the p rocess, so me V ice Chancellors of

the elite national law schools serve impo rtan t roles in advising on ma tters of constitutiona l change, ec ono mic

policy and law reform even as they prepare their students for absorption into corporate practice. Legal

globalisation also refers to new law reform agenda sh aping the course of the three 'D s' of econ om ic globalisation:

de-nationalization, disinvestment, and deregulation. Prominent on this agenda remain the shaping of new

regulatory institution s, proc esses, and cultures; increased e mp hasis on alternate dispute resolutio n; simplification

of investmen t and com mercial law; and tendency tow ards accelerated growth of 'flexible labou r markets. ' Law

reform, especially the efficiency of the aclrninistration of justice, becomes more visibly the instrument of the

new econ om ic policy. A proce ss curiously nam ed as 'far globalisation' generates som e imp orta nt legal changes

such as the emplo ym ent guarantee scheme act, the mo re vigorou s enforcem ent of child labour laws, regime of

protection o f cons um er rights, and of the right to information. Legal globalisation, overall, serves and p rom otes

the needs of the new globalising middle classes of India.

Thus, no d oubt there exists vasdy improved access to information now concerning the Darfur situation in the Sudan,

the current situation in Iraq, or the most recent Israeli incursions into Lebanon than was available, or imaginable,

during the first war of Indian Independence in 1857, described by colonial historiography merely as a 'Mutiny' or the

myriad wars against an Age of Empire.


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pol icy as the basis of ad judicatory pol icy s tands prosely t ized by the a l ready hyper-g lobal i sed Indian appel la te

Bar . Unders t andab ly , t he p rocesses o f j ud i c i a l appo in tm en t p rec lude any se r ious rega rd fo r t he e l eva t ion o f

not iceab ly out sp ok en judic ia l cr i t ics of I nd ian g lobal i sa t ion . N o longe r may the judic ia l co l legium al ready in

p l ace da re no m ina t e a po t e n t i a l Kr i sh na Iye r , D .A. Desa i , Ch inn app a Reddy , o r even a Bhagwat i

Before I proceed wi th s ix s tories , p lease a l low me to say that I remain an unabashed votary of judic ia l

ac t iv ism, Indian-sty le , which i t remained my priv i lege to foster and further v ia socia l ac t ion l i t iga t ion . In word

( in m y wr i t i ngs ) and in deed ( i n m y in t e rven t ions / appea rances be fo re t he Suprem e Cour t o f Ind i a ) , I have

ce l eb ra t ed t he m any

avatars

of Ind ian judic ia l ac t iv ism variously . For exa mp le , I hav e descr ibed judic ia l ac t iv ism

a s t r a n s f o r m i n g t h e S u p r e m e C o u r t

of

I n d i a a s t h e S u p r e m e C o u r t

for

t h e i m p o v e r i s h e d m a s s e s o f I n d i a n -

c i t i zens ; I have ce l eb ra t ed j ud i c i a l ac t i v i sm as an e ssen t i a l chem othe rapy fo r t he cance rous Ind i an body po l i t i c

I have desc r ibed in v iv id de t a i l , and app lauded , t he wavs i n wh ich ac t i v i s t Ind i an Jus t i ces have p roceeded to

inve nt a ne w juri sd ic t ion (w hich I na m e as the 'ep is to lary ' jur i sd ic t ion ) , es tabl i s hed ne w for ms of a ppel la te fac t -

f inding (notably v ia the device of socio-legal c i t izen co m mi ssi on s of enqu i ry) , re- scr ip ted fund am enta l r ights

cons ide red and re j ec t ed by cons t i t u t i on -m akers fo r i nc lu s ion in P a r t I I I ( such a s ' due p rocess , ' r i gh t t o speedy

t r ia l an d to bai l ) an d enu ncia ted n ew galaxies of h um an r ights (such as the r ight to privacy an d d ignity , live l ihood,

e n v i r o n m e n t a l i n te g r it y , i n f o r m a t i o n a n d p a r t i c ip a t i o n .) T h e m a n v - s p l e n d o u r e d d i s t in c t iv e a c h i e v e m e n t s o f

socia l ac t io n l i t iga t ion have a l ready, and co nt i nu e to , ful ly assis t the proce sse s of re -de mo cra t i sa t ion o f the

Indian const i tu t ional pol i ty ' .

I need to re i tera te a l l th is out of any naive authoria l vani ty but as an ac t of res is tance to the forms of legal

and jud ic i a l g loba l i sa t i on , wh ich now fos t e r t he a r t o f o r gan ize d pub l i c am n es i a , even conc e rn ing the ne w

s ty l es and hab i t s o f t h e now - t aken - fo r -g ran t ed ways o f j ud i c i al gov e rna nce o f Ind i a . A t t he sam e m om en t , i t

a l so needs t o be sa id t ha t ce l eb ra t i on d i f fe rs f rom panegyr i c o rg i e s , r i t ua l s t ha t se rve no wor thwh i l e ends t han

t h o s e p a n d e r i n g n a r c i s s i s m s o f t h e m o m e n t .

I have been cr i t ica l of some adjudicatory pol ices and outcomes. In th is , I am not in any way s ingular .

Act iv is t scholarship everywhere , but more poignant ly in the Indian conjuncture , serves i t s cause wel l by absta in ing

f rom pe r fo r m a nce s o f j ud i c i al sycophancy , i n any case p ro h ib i t e d by Ar t i c l e 51 -A o f t he Con s t i t u t i on t ha t

urge s a l l Ind ian c i t izens to dev elop ' sc ient if ic temp er, ' ' sp i r i t ' o f cr i t ica l enq ui ry and socia l re fo rm ' , and ab ov e

al l the v i r tu e of 'exce l lence ' in a ll 'walks of l ife .' In s um , th is v i r tu e casts a responsib il i ty

7

on a l l Indian c i t izens

to expose

mediocrity

i n ad jud ica t ive po l i cy and pe r f o rm anc e . T he C ons t i t u t i o n t he n requ i re s o f b o th a pex jud ic i a l

ac to rs and the i r c r i t i c s t o shun m ed ioc r i t y and pu rsue exce l l ence ; t hese rem a in i n rea l l i fe , I acknowledge ,

d i ff icu l t v i r tues to pract ice .

V

Al low m e , i n t h i s m i l i eu , t o p roceed wi th m y s ix s to r i e s

The f i rs t s tory re la tes to the const i tu t ional i ty of some global i sa t ion induced t rade/a id /grant condi t ional i t ies .

The Suprem e Cour t had indeed deve loped the doc t r i ne o f ' uncons t i t u t i ona l cond i t i ons ' (no t ab lv by the exe r t i ons

o f Jus ti ce Mathew ) and the la t e r doc t r i nes conce rn ing unco ns t i t u t i ona l d i sapp o in tm en t o f l eg it im a te e xpec t a t i ons

and o f p roh ib i t i o n o f un jus t e n r i ch m e n t . Al l t hese doc t r i nes , i n sum , sign if i ed s t r i c t j ud i c ia l sc ru t i ny o f m a cro


7/10

ILI Golden Jubüee 1956-2006

Inaugural I 'unction

a n d m i c r o e c o n o m i c / d e v e l o p m e n t p o l i c i e s t h a t a d v e r s e l y i m p a c t e d o n e q u a l i t y / e q u i t y o r h u m a n r i g h t s a n d

fundam en ta l f reed om s o f t he m os t vu lne rab l e c l a sses o f Ind i a n c it i zens . Th es e doc t r i ne s now He bu r i e d f ive

fa thom s deep .

My f ir st s t o ry conc e rn s t he ac t iv i s t cha l l enge t o Ind i a ' s access ion to t he W T O im pu gn ed on the g ro un d

tha t i t v io l a t ed no t j u s t P a r t I I I p rov i s ion s bu t a l so t he bas i c s t ruc tu re o f t he Co ns t i t u t i on , an em inen t ly we l l -

c ra f t ed j ud i c i a l doc t r i ne [pu t i n t he On ida -TV adver t a s ' owner ' s p r ide and ne ighbour ' s envy ' . ] The Bom bay

H i g h C o u r t

5

ra the r b l it he ly d i sm i ssed the con ten t io n O n on e read ing o f i ts j udg m e n t , t he C our t , ove ral l , a sked

the pe t i t i one rs t o re tu rn t o i t s powers

as and when

any such de l e t e r ious im pac t be ca m e m or e m an i fe s t Un l ike

t h e c l a s s i c d i s c o u r s e c o n c e r n i n g t h e c e r t i f i c a t i o n o f t h e i n t e r i m c o n s t i t u t i o n w h e r e t h e S o u t h A f r i c a n

Cons t i t u t i ona l Cour t sub j ec t ed i t t o t he t e s t o f bas i c p r inc ip l e s , t he Cour t d id no t even seek to m a tch t he

b l o o d - g r o u p o f t h e W T O a g r e e m e n t s , e s p ec i al ly t h e T R I P S , w i t h P a r t s I I I a n d I V o f t h e C o n s t i t u t i o n . I t i s n o

conso la t i on , t houg h in a d i f fe ren t con tex t , fo r u s t o kno w tha t t he P h i l i pp ines Supr em e Co ur t li kewi se abs t a in ed /

abdicated i t s ro le . May I suggest tha t we read th is decis ional s tance as the f i rs t s tep towards the s t ructura l

ad jus tm en t o f j ud i c i a l rev i ew power , p rocess , and ac t i v i sm ? To s t ea l a fam ous ph rase f rom Rona ld Dwork in ,

t he em inen t Cour t ac t s he re a s a

'deputy

1

to th e leg is la tors , le t a lone as

deputy

legislator. '

A seco nd m om en to us de ve lop m e n t t owards t he s t ruc tu ra l ad jus tm en t o f j ud i c ia l ro l e , and ac ti v i sm , occu r s

t h r o u g h t h e e n t i r e l y u n c o n s c i o n a b l e a n d u n c o n s t i t u t i o n a l j u d i c i a l o r d e r s d e c r e e i n g t h e i n f a m o u s B h o p a l

se t t l em en t

6

. Shou ld you f i nd t hese words t oo ha rsh , I i nv i t e you r a t t en t ion t o t he t ex t o f t hese o rde rs . The

C o u r t t h e r e n o t m e r e l y r e d u c e s t h e c o m p e n s a b l e a m o u n t f r o m t h e I n d i a n g o v e r n m e n t c o m p u t e d U S $ 3 b i l l i o n

to $470 m i l l i on bu t a l so g ran t s t he Un ion Carb ide fu l l im m uni ty f rom c r im ina l p roceed ings and su r roga t e s t he

India n go ve rn m en t as a fu l ly-f ledged f iduciary c lo ne of th at mu l t inat io nal , and a ll i t s wo rld-w ide aff ine , in

rega rd to a ll c iv il ac t i on in India an d a t wo rld a t la rge O u r efforts a t rev ie w pet i t io n saved th e Cou rt , a t least

pa r ti a ll y , o f t he i gnom iny o f a ' do ne dea l ' p ro v id ing c r im ina l im m uni ty t o Un ion Carb ide .

I have wr i t t en ra the r ex t ens ive ly conce rn ing th i s a s ton i sh ing ly angu i sh ing ad jud i ca to ry pe r fo rm ance bu t

a l so bee n re sp ons ib l e fo r rev i ew pe t i t i ons t ha t u l t im a te ly , bu t e ffet ely, qua sh so m e o f t hese im m un i t i e s /

im pun i t i e s . Twen ty -one yea rs s i nce , and I canno t speak o f t h i s w i thou t a l um p in m y hea r t , t he ca t a s t roph ic

v i c t im s rem a in s t agge r ing ly re -v i c t im i sed . F o r t he p res en t o ccas ion , t h i s na r ra t i ve sug ges t s a j ud ic i al ly i nd uc ed /

m a nag ed t rans i t i on ro om ; t he pa rad igm o f t he un ive rsa l hu m an r igh t s o f a l l su f fe r ing peo p les t o t ha t o f t r ade -

re l a t ed , m arke t - f r i end ly h um an r igh ts pa rad igm

7

.

Se e

P.B. Sawantv. UOI

AIR 1994 Bo m 32 3. An egregious error in an early-unroofed draft of this paper p resented

this holding as emanating from the H ono urab le Sup reme Cou rt of India. In a lifet ime of study of Indian consti tut ional

review processes, this is my first error yet entirely inexcusable. I must sincerely extend my apologies to all concerned

especially to their Lordships of the Indian Supreme Court. It is another matter altogether that the very constitutional

ground s that so fully weighed with the Bom bay m ay have been equally persuasive with the Su preme Co urt of India.

But any such speculative enterprise must also reckon with the fact that the Court was the more appropriate forum

for a fuller consideration of the basic structure argument pressed in the service of contesting India's accession

Incidentally, at least for the Bhopal—violated Indian humanity, it now remains somewhat poignant that Chief Justice

Pathak, who wrote the Bhopal settlement order, in his recent Volcker investigation report finds it politically and

constitutionally incorre ct that an ex foreign m inister of India may have 'misu sed' his office In obse rving this, I

imp ute of cou rse no ulterior motives to Pathak. This would be simply unw orthy. Ev en so, the suffering Bh opal

vict ims may st i l l seek from Pathak a more grounded understanding of his notion of 'misuse' of a consti tut ional

office.

See, Upendra Baxi,

The Future of Human Rights

(2

nd

ed.) Delhi, Oxford University Press 234-275(2006).


8/10

ILI

Go lden

Jubilee 1956-2006

Inaugural F unction

A t h i r d s t o r y c o n c e r n i n g s t r u c t u r a l a d j u s t m e n t

of

j ud i c i a l ac t i v i sm s t ands p resen t ed

in the

d e t e r m i n e d

reversa l

of the

p r o u d l a b o u r j u r i s p r u d e n c e

of the

S u p r e m e C o u r t

itself. The

jurist ic

and

jurid ica l labours

of

Krishna Iyer ,

D.A.

Desa i , Ch innap pa Red dy M. P. Thak kar ,

and in

earlier times

of

S u b b a

Rao and

Ga jend ragadkar ,

even

a

H idya tu l l ah ,

are now

r e v e r s e d

bv

m a n v

a

hu r r i ed s toke

of

insensi t ive judic ia l

pen A

2006 dec i s ion

of

t h e S u p r e m e C o u r t

8

even goes

so far as to 'denude'

1

all

p r io r con t ra ry dec i s ions

of

t he i r au tho r i t a t i ve s ta tu s Th i s

sweep ing d i sm i ssa l

of

p r io r b ind ing p receden t s s i gn i f i e s

an

en t i re ly unaccoun tab l e

and

r a t h e r u n p r e c e d e n t e d

judic ia l technique

in the

anna l s

of the

I n d i a n

as

wel l

as the

C o m m o n w e a l t h j u d i c i a r y

The

learned Just ice

who

wri tes

the

p r inc ipa l op in ion even goes

so far as to

sugges t t ha t

his

p r e d e c e s s o r s l a b o u r e d u n d e r

a

m i s i m p r e s s i o n

that ours w

T

as

a socialist

cons t i t u t i on

T h i s e m i n e n t j u d g e c o m p e l l e d

a

m o m e n t o u s j u r i s p r u d e n t ia l a n x ie t y

for me in mv

Warwick loca t ion .

I

s c o u r g e d

the

h i s to r i e s

of

r e c e n t a m e n d m e n t s

to

a s c e rt a i n w h e t h e r s o m e r e c e n t c o n s t it u t i o n a l a m e n d m e n t s

had

after

all

de l e t ed t h i s 4 2

n d

A m e n d m e n t i n s e r t i o n

to the

P r e a m b l e

to the

C o n s t i t u t i o n A l l o w

me to

b r i n g

to you

th e

good

new s tha t th i s p ream bu la to rv rec i t a l

has

s u r v i v e d

the

ravages

of

c o n t e m p o r a r y I n d i a n g l o b a l i s a t i o n

T h e

b d

new?,

is

that th is

now for the

S u p r e m e C o u r t

of

Ind i a m akes

not a

tattle

of

difference

1

.

I

am not

saving

at all the

later Justices

mav not

feel free

to

d i s sen t f rom the i r p redecesso rs .

Nor am Í

saying

tha t

the

p r e d e c e s s o r s

mav

c la im

anv

p r o p h e t i c w i s d o m o v e r

the

future

of

cons t i t u t i ona l deve lopm en t . However ,

ί do w i s h to s ugges t wi th the ful les t cons t i tu t ional s incer i ty that in d o i n g so they remain ful ly accountable at the

b a r of pub l i c r eas on . And in th i s r es pec t thev a l toge ther s eem now to coilecaveiv fail .

A four th na r r a t ive of s t ruc tu ra l ad jus tment of iudicial power s tands furnished bv the S u n r e m e C o u r t ' s

m o m e n t o u s l y m e a n d e r i n g j u r is p r u d e n c e c o n c e r n i n g the N a r m a d a Dam cons t ruc t ion . At one dec i s iona i m om ent ,

w e are to ld tha t the h e i g h t of the dam mav no t be r a i s e d w i t h o u t the mos t s o l i c i tous r egard for the h u m a n

rights , and h u m a n f u tu r e s, of the ous ted p ro jec t a f f ec ted c i t i zen-peop les . At a n o t h e r d e c i s io n a i m o m e n t s t a n d s

e n a c t e d the u n c o n s t i t u t i o n a l fian passu p r i n c i p l e , u n d e r w h o s e a u s p i c e s s u b m e r g e n c e mav actual ly occur wi th

s o m e i n d e t e r m i n a t e r e g a r d

for relief

r ehab i l i t a t ion ,

and

r e s e t t l e m e n t .

At a

th i rd m o m e n t ,

the

af fected ci t izen-

p e o p l e s s t a n d s o m e h o w a s s u r e d t h a t the C o u r t is not pow

T

erless to render jus t ice to t h e m e v e n as s u b m e r g e n c e

occur s . Who k n o w s w h a t a f o u rt h m o m e n t may after all t u r n out to ber The p r e s e n t w r i t in g on the judicial wall

fully suggests the possibil i ty ' that the C o u r t may t e rmina l ly dec la r e tha t the t as ks of relief r e s e t t l e m e n t , and

rehabi l i ta t ions s tand almost ful ly and magica lly acco mp l i s hed

A fif th s tory of the s t ructural ly adjus ted judicial role and ' r e s pons ib i l i t y ' s t ands now fu rn i s hed by the

j ud ic ia ll y m a n d a t e d / m e d i a t e d / s a n c t i o n e d u r b a n d e m o l i t i o n d r iv e s t h a t c r ue l ly i m p o s e t h e m s e l v e s on the

b l o o d i e d b o d i e s of the u r b a n i m p o v e r i s h e d . S o m e r e c e n t j u di c ia l p e r f o r m a n c e s go so far as to fully suggest a

to tal reversal of h u m m i r i g h t s to dignity and l ive l ihood , wh ich the Cour t i t sel f s ince the E igh t i es so pa ins t ak ing

evo lved . Some cour t . ae r s go so far as to m a n d a t e , u n d e r the pain of c o n t u m a c i o u s c o n d u c t , any h u m a n

r igh t s -o r i en ted in t e rven t ion aga ins t the e n f o r c e d d e m o l i t io n s . The impo ver i s he d u rban evacuees s t and den ied

all r ights of c o n s t i t u t i o n a l due p roces s , i nc lud ing acces s to the i r e r s twhi l e meagre be long ings . The bu l ldozer s

r e m o v e the las t s ight of thei r exis tence as d o c u m e n t e d c i ti z e n s ; all ev idence of title and occ upa t ion ( inc lud ing

the on ly 'pas s por t ' t hey pos s es bv way of pa t t as , t he i r i nch oa te ' t it l e ' deeds , and p romin en t ly the i r r a t ion ca rds )

s t and mal i c ious ly and wan ton ly des t royed .

N o t too l o n g ago d u r i n g the 1 9 7 5 - 7 6 i m p o s i t i o n of the in t e rna l Emergen cy , s uch hap pen ings w ere

po ignan t ly des c r ibed as emergency excesses. T o d a y , t h e s e s o m e h o w c o n s t i t u t e the badges

of

good governance Surely,

R

Secretary

State

of

Karnataka v.

I ma

Devi (2006)

4 SCC 1.


9/10


Inaugural Function

st ructura l ad justment of judic ia l ac t iv ism, or judic ia l g lobal i sa t ion Indian-sty le , thus wi th a s ingle-minded

cons i s t ency , now p roduces w i th som e i r reve rs ib l e hum an r igh t s des t ruc t i ve g loba l i s ing i n t endm en t som e new

judici a l p ro du c t io ns o f t he e s t a t e s o f I nd i an h um an r igh t l e ssness .

A s ix th s to ry conce rns t he ha rsh way in wh ich the Ind i an Suprem e Cour t dea l t w i th t he ' con t em pt '

commit ted by Zahi ra Sheikh . She s igni f ies a mul t ip le-produced series of tex ts of v ic t image const i tu ted severa l ly :

f ir s t, as an eye -wi tness t o t he des t ruc t i o n by a rson o f he r ow n k in and a f f ine by t he H ind u tv a m ob s ; second , a s

news/v i ews ' com m odi ty ' i n hype rg loba l i z ing Ind i an m ass m ed ia ; t h i rd , a s a re sou rce app rop r i a t ed by loca l

pol i t ic ians and by some act iv is t s a l ike and fourth as a commodi ty in the heavi ly mass media inflec ted markets

o f h um an r igh t s and soc i a l m o ve m en t ac t i v i sm . Overa l l he re , a deep ly t raum a t i zed v i c t im o f o rgan ized po l it i ca l

ca t a s t rophe , o r ho locaus t , s t ands com pe l l ed by the fo rce o f c i rcum stance t o m ake con t rad i c to ry s t a t em en t s

tha t f i na l l y dec ree he r fa t e a s a con tum ac ious Ind i an c i t i zen wor thy on ly o f t he m os t seve re pun i shm en t i n t he

a n n a l s o f c o n t e m p t j u r i s p r u d e n c e .

The sam e Cour t , however , rem a ined l a rge ly l en i en t i n i t s rega rd fo r Ch ie f Min i s t e r Ka lyan S ingh fo r an

ob jec t i ve ly p resen t ed fa r worse eg reg ious con tum ac ious conduc t l ead ing to t he dem ol i t i on o f t he Babr i Mas j id

and the com m una l ca rnage t ha t fo l l owed . I t a l so rem a ined l en i en t fo r Arundha t i Roy , a h i s to r i ca l l y be l a t ed

N B A act iv is t f igura tion , ma rshal l in g the fu ll ran ge of po w ers of In tern at io na l U ni on of Jou rnal i s t s , an d Shiv

Shankar , a fo rm er Un ion L aw Min i s t e r , fo r a wh i l e m arsha l l i ng t he pow er o f j ud ic i a l e l eva t ion . Th e i r eg reg ious

con tum ac ious conduc t was t hough t e l i g ib l e fo r t he o the rwi se ra the r re l axed s t anda rds o f con tem pt pun i shm en t .

Ye t , t he Suprem e Cour t l eaned heav i ly on Zah i ra . How m ay we unders t and th i s j ud i c i a l a sym m et ry i n ou r , o r

indeed in any access ta lk , save by the fac t tha t tha t h igh pol i t ica l s ta tus was s imply not avai lable to Zahi ra?

To dep ic t t he scena r io t hus i s no t t o p resen t any m ean-m ou thed m ode o f a t t r i bu t ing any c l a ss d i f fe ren t i a l

in access to just ice . Yet in d ischarging my c i t izen responsib i l i ty ac t ing under Part IV-A fundamental dut ies of

Ind i an c i t i zens requ i re s m e to h igh l igh t t he d i f fe ren t s t rok es o f t he jud i ci a l exe rc i se o f co n te m pt pow er , wh ich

a l so m a rk som e eno rm ou s d i ffe ren t ia l s o f access t o f ree speech un de r t he Ind i an Co ns t i t u t i o n .

H ow indee d m ay on e fu lly g rasp t he fo rm s o f p o l i t i co - j ud ic i a l t o l e ra t i on o f con tum ac io us pe r fo rm anc es

that in fac t enact d i fferent s tandards for h ighly p laced pol i t ica l f igures as compared wi th ord inary and hapless

c i t izens? Is i t a l so the case as wel l tha t some new wal ls of d i fference thus erected between g lobal i sed and de-

g loba l ised Ind i an c i t izens? H ow m ay we a t a ll g ra s p t he enac tm en t o f d i f fe ren t t o l e ranc e t h re sho ld s fo r pub l i c -

sp i r i ted cr i t ic i sm of adjudicator} · s ty les and performances that now so fu l ly enact some cont radic tory , dual ,

even m u l t i p l e , s t anda rd s o f d i f fe ren ti a l access t o j u s t i ce , a s an a spec t o f f reedo m o f speech and exp res s ion ,

even am ids t t he m os t t raum at i ca l l y devas t a t i ng m om en t s?

VI

There i s s im p ly no way to ' conc lude ' t h i s agon ized p resen t a t i on , save by say ing tha t t he access t a lk

rem a ins a pa r t o f t he

problem,

not a part of any

solution.

To re i t e ra t e , any app r oac h to so lu t i on m us t a t l ea s t

r e s p o n d t o t h e f o l l o w i n g u p e s o f q u e s t i o n s : H o w m a y w e

de-globalise

judic ia l access , tha t i s , ensure that the

ove rseas and na t iona l cap i t a l does no t r i de roughshod ove r t he l i ve l i hood and d ign i ty r i gh t s o f t he work ing

c l a sses? How m ay we ensu re t ha t i n t he m ak ing o f new Ind ian g loba l c i t i e s , and the enc l aves / fo r t re sses o f

spec i a l econom ic zones , t he sam e range o f l i ved hum an r igh t s t o t he m ig ran t and u rban im pover i shed c i t i zens?

H o w m a y w e p o u r d e m o c r a t i c a n d c o n s t i t u t i o n a l c o n t e n t t o t h e b o r r o w e d a n d i m p o s e d l a n g u a g e s o f ' g o o d

g o v e r n a n c e ? ' H o w l o n g m a v t h e m a s s e s o f i m p o v e r i s h e d I n d i a n c i t i z e n s b e t r e a t e d a s m e r e

objects

o f


10/10

II.I (i'.l iic n ju ln lt f Γ'3Λ -2ι>"ΐί

Inaugural Function

dev e lop m ent po l i c i es tha t r ep rod uc e the lives o f Ind ia n c i t i zens as r ecep tac les o f obs c en e po li t i ca l

waste?

H o w f ar o u g h t t h e n e w e c o n o m i c p o l i c y r e m a i n e ff e c ti v el y a h u m a n r i g h t s - n e u t r a l d o m a i n o f n a t i o n a l

gov ern anc e by e l ec ted o ff ic i al s as we l l t he un e lec ted on es (m os t no tab ly the J us t i ces ) ? H o w may we a l l

endeavour toge ther fo r the r es to r a t ion o f the g lo ry o f the Supreme Cour t of India wh ich f inal ly co nv er te d

itself i n the ha lcyon days o f democra t i s a t ion o f acces s , a s the Supreme Cour t fo r al l hapless Indian ci t izens?

Pe rha ps , I ma y so un d to you as cal l ing for a Jura ss ic - pa rk type revival of Ind ian judicial act ivism of the

s even t i es and e igh t i es . Yo u may wel l wa n t to r eg ard m e as a ju r i s p ruden t i a l D inos aur . So be i t. For wea l o r w oe ,

I am unab le to make any coheren t s ens e o f our acces s t a lk o therwis e .

Perhaps no t ; I i nv i t e s ummar i ly the ges tu re o f J ean F ranco i s Lyo ta rd in h i s Peregrination: Law Form and

Eventwhcn he s peaks to us thus : "H ow ma y we unde r s t a nd the n the des ce n t in to the s ubs t r a t a o f neces s i ty , t o

seek out there th e m os t the m ea nin g of th e m os t i r ra t io nal of h is tor ic ef fects [ that res is ts the [cons t ruc t ion of)

the incomprehens ib le and comple te t ab leau o f r ea l i ty . . . [ t ha t l i s t ens ] . . . t o the obs cure pas s ions , t he a r rogance

o f l e a d er s , t h e s a d n e s s o f w o r k e r s , th e h u m i l i a t i o n o f p e a s a n t s , a n d o f t h e c o l o n i z e d t h e a n g e r a n d t h e

bewilderment of revol t ; the bewilderment , too, of thought [ that invi tes ] again the thread of c lass in the imbrogl io

of even t s . "

J us t i ce Gos wami once s poke o f the Ind ian Supreme Cour t a s the ' l a s t r e fuge fo r the bewi ldered and the

oppres s ed . ' Pe rhaps , a g loba l i s ing Ind ian Supreme Cour t needs to r ecover th i s inc reas ing ly los t ad jud ica to ry

es t a t e?

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011_Access to Justice in a Globalised Economy