GUWAHATI: Supreme Court judge Justice Ujjal Bhuyan has criticised the trend of "bulldozer justice" in various states, stating that demolishing properties of accused persons amounts to violating the Constitution.
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Speaking at an event on Saturday, March 22, Justice Bhuyan said that such actions undermine the rule of law and the justice system. "Using a bulldozer to demolish a property is like running a bulldozer over the Constitution,” he said. “It is a negation of the very concept of rule of law, and if not checked, would destroy the very edifice of our justice delivery system."
He further highlighted the devastating impact of such demolitions on the families of accused persons. "In that house, the accused may be staying, but what about his mother, his sister, his wife, his children? What is their fault? If you demolish that house, where will they go?" he asked.
Stressing in particular that even if someone is accused or convicted of a crime, Justice Bhuyan asserted that it does not justify the destruction of their home. In his address, he also called for introspection and reforms in the judiciary, stating that while the Supreme Court of India is often regarded as the most powerful court in the world, it must also acknowledge its own fallibility.
"We need to introspect if we have gone wrong somewhere down the line,” he said. “Only if we do that can there be course correction, and I strongly believe there is enough room for course correction in the Indian judiciary."
He further went on to suggest that many recent Supreme Court judgments may need critical re-examination. "Had there been any court above the Supreme Court, like the Privy Council in the past, many of the judgments of the Supreme Court would have had to undergo a re-look," he observed.
