Democracy and People’s Rights in the Neo-Liberal Era: Role of Judiciary

The recent judgments and orders from various levels of higher judiciary indicate a drastic shift in their outlook and approach. A close look reveals two trends developing within the judiciary. Firstly, the judiciary has been exhibiting a clear bias towards markets and big business. On the other hand, there is a growing apathy towards the issues of poor, downtrodden, working class and other exploited sections. Secondly, recent pronouncements of the courts show a growing intolerance towards the democratic rights of people and their organised activities. In sum, the progressive judicial activism of previous welfare state era has been transformed into a reactionary activism in favour of ruling classes and against the democratic rights of the people.