None Wiser than the Law
A seven part miniseries with former Chief Justice of India, MN Venkatachaliah in conversation with Alok Prasanna Kumar on the history of the legal system in India, his life and times and several high-profile cases.
EPISODE 1
In this first episode, Justice MNV and Alok discuss two landmark judgements delivered by benches headed by Justice Venkatachaliah, namely Kihoto Hollohan v Zachillhu and AR Antulay v RS Nayak. These two cases involved two major political issues that continue to bedevil Indian politics: defections and corruption. In the Antulay case, Justice Venkatachaliah’s judgement says, “to be wiser than the law is what by good laws is forbidden” and that the “well trodden path is the best path”. This captures the essence of Justice Venkatachaliah’s judicial philosophy, as we shall discover this episode.
In the second episode of the series, Justice MNV and Alok delve into two pivotal judgments that revolve around two of the most harrowing incidents in independent India’s history: the Bhopal Gas disaster in 1984 and the Babri Masjid demolition in 1991. These tragic events spawned a multitude of legal cases, with two of the most significant cases finding their way to the Supreme Court, with Justice Venkatachaliah on the bench. These cases, namely Union Carbide Corporation Ltd v the Union of India (decided in 1991) and Dr Ismail Faruqui v Union of India (decided in 1994), hold paramount importance in the context of these events.
The Supreme Court’s role in facilitating the settlement between the Union of India and Union Carbide has been a subject of extensive debate, as has its contribution to the eventual resolution of the Babri Masjid dispute. In this episode of BIC Talks, we endeavor to shed light on the motivations and considerations that underpinned the court’s decisions, providing insight into why the court took the actions it did in these consequential cases.
EPISODE 2
EPISODE 3
In this third episode, Justice Venkatachaliah talks about his early life and career as a lawyer in Bengaluru. In this conversation the Justice looks back on his memories of Bengaluru at the turn of independence, influences in his life, and what the Bar and the Bench in Bengaluru was like.
EPISODE 4
Justice Venkatachaliah was elevated as a permanent judge of the Karnataka High Court on November 6, 1975. In October 1987, he was elevated to the Supreme Court of India to become only the third judge from the Karnataka High Court to have been appointed a judge of the Supreme Court of India. As the senior-most judge of the Supreme Court of India in February 1993, he succeeded Justice LM Sharma as the Chief Justice of India and held that position until his retirement in October, 1994. In his 20 month tenure as the Chief Justice of India, Justice Venkatachaliah initiated a wide set of reforms that are remembered to this day. In this, the fourth episode, Justice MN Venkatachaliah delves his career as a judge of the High Court and Supreme Court, and as the Chief Justice of India, and his subsequent post-judicial career.
EPISODE 5
In this fifth episode, Justice Venkatachaliah recollects his interactions with eminent judges, lawyers and politicians with whom he crossed paths.
EPISODE 6
With over seventy years of experience as a lawyer, judge and public figure, Justice Venkatachaliah has seen it all – the birth of indepedendent India, the tenures of multiple Prime Ministers, the rise of social movements, secession, deep social conflicts and their resolutions.
What does he make of India and the journey it has taken over the last 75 odd years?
In this episode, we will be hearing from Justice Venkatachaliah on his perspectives on the state of the Indian judiciary, what the legal profession ought to be like and where legal education should go.
EPISODE 7
In this final episode of the mini-series, Alok and Justice Venkatachaliah spoke on a range of issues related to the Indian Constitution, the evolution of its basic principles and the challenges that lie ahead for India in the coming years.