The judgment of the Supreme Court in the Supertech case of NOIDA will be long remembered and it must be strictly executed. The judgment has sent a highly positive message across the country that ‘high and mighty’ cannot take the law into their own hands. Unfortunately, this perception has gained momentum, particularly after the Union Carbide case that powerful persons have very safe escape routes, and the law cannot touch them. This is the reason that they flout the rules and the laws with gay abandon. The stinging comment of the Supreme Court on the corruption of officials must wake up the higher authorities to take stringent action against those, who allowed the Supertech to go like an untamed and unfettered bull. To mete out exemplary punishment to those reeking with corruption from their noses, eyes, and ears will serve the ends of complete justice.
The justice, as they say, must be reformative and deterrent. In a democratic society like ours, retributive justice has no place. Of late. The cynicism has also grown among people about the judiciary. The conduct of the shady judges has been largely responsible for the unsavoury image of the judiciary. That is why, it is said that judges should be like Caesar’s wife, beyond any reproach.
There is not even a shred of doubt that without the complicity of the officials, it is not possible to get any illegal construction done. Large-scale illegal constructions in any city bear the testimony of the huge corruption among officials. Almost all illegal constructions in Delhi scream about the neck-deep corruption prevailing in the DDA. Corrupt officials enjoy the full support of corrupt politicians for mutual benefits. The unplanned growth in Delhi could not have been possible without the complicity of the DDA, MCD and the Police. If exemplary punishments were given to them, Delhi would have been the ideal place.
To uphold the majesty of justice, it is all the more necessary to take action against NOIDA officials, and only then the maxim that ‘howsoever high one may be, the law is above them’ will have dignity and grace. Among all three organs of the State- the Legislature, the Executive, and the Judiciary, it is the judiciary that enjoys the highest respect and trust of the people. The Legislature and the Executive have lost much of their sheen.
It is, therefore, the responsibility of the Judiciary is to ensure that the powerful persons are not allowed to hold the common people to ransom as per their whims and fancies. This decision of the Supreme Court will, without doubt, instil a new sense of confidence in the public.