Prashant Bhushan Quotes

Prashant Bhushan

Profession : Lawyer

Birth : October 15, 1956

Independence of Judiciary means independence from Executive and Legislature, but not independence from accountability.

Prashant Bhushan

Indeed, public scrutiny is desirable for healthy functioning of judiciary itself.

Prashant Bhushan

A corrupt judiciary is hardly likely to hold a corrupt executive to account.

Prashant Bhushan

The lack of judicial accountability exemplified by the lack of a system of selecting judges and of dealing with complaints against them, has indeed led to the system gradually losing its integrity.

Prashant Bhushan

A Judicial Bureau of Investigation under an independent Judicial Complaints Commission, should be set up to investigate complaints against judges.

Prashant Bhushan

Any unfair and scandalous allegations made by disgruntled litigants will be ignored and recognised for what they are by the public, and can be dealt with under the law of civil and criminal defamation.

Prashant Bhushan

Over the years, the judiciary has expanded its own powers by creative interpretations of the Constitution, particularly Article 21 which guarantees the right to life. This has been interpreted by the Supreme Court to include the right to a healthy environment, to health, primary education, livelihood and shelter.

Prashant Bhushan

The main reasons for the growth and institutionalization of corruption are: a culture of secrecy with lack of transparency, and weak institutions for securing the accountability of public servants, such as the Vigilance bodies, the criminal investigative agencies and the judiciary.

Prashant Bhushan

Ultimately, it is only a powerful civil society movement which can break the vicious cycle of corruption in any society.

Prashant Bhushan

You cannot cave in saying something that is against your conscience and belief. That self-righteous ego is a must for any self-respecting, truth-loving person.

Prashant Bhushan

It is a fundamental principle that every institution must be accountable to an authority which is independent of that institution. Yet somehow, the judiciary has propagated a view that the judiciary can only be accountable to itself.

Prashant Bhushan

Not wanting to suffer criticism, the judiciary has used its power of contempt to stifle criticism.

Prashant Bhushan

It is true that the battle for secularism must be fought in the hearts and minds of people, but how does one reach out to the hearts and minds in a fascist state?

Prashant Bhushan

No public servant or legislator can claim any privacy to take money for conducting their official functions.

Prashant Bhushan

Since environmental and health damage is not factored into reducing GDP - and in fact the resulting health costs and the costs of cleaning up the environment would also inflate GDP, a GDP obsessed government would try and dismantle environmental and health regulations.

Prashant Bhushan

Long live democracy!

Prashant Bhushan

The rule of law is the most basic principle on which our Constitution is based.

Prashant Bhushan

It is true that there have been excesses of judicial activism.

Prashant Bhushan

Both Pakistan and India stand to suffer severe losses in the event of India using military force within Pakistan.

Prashant Bhushan

It is well settled in our Constitutional scheme that all Parliamentary Acts and mandates bind the executive. Any executive act, which violates any express or implied mandate of the Parliament, is unconstitutional and void.

Prashant Bhushan