Government Vs Judiciary: Who Should Appoint Judges?

The appointment of judges to the Supreme Court and the high courts has become a major flashpoint between the government and the judiciary. There has been subtle and sometimes not-so-subtle sniping over the issue of the powers of the Supreme court. Days after Vice-President Jagdeep Dhankhar questioned the "basic structure" doctrine - as laid down by the Supreme Court in 1973 - the Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud said on Saturday it was "like the north star," providing invaluable guidance for the interpretation of the Constitution here - and elsewhere. Then today Law Minister Kiren Rijiju seemed to support the views of a retired high court judge, who said the Supreme Court "hijacked" the Constitution by deciding to appoint judges itself. The law minister commented while sharing a clip of an interview that it is the "voice of a judge" and that the majority of people have similar "sane views".