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significant for <strong>the</strong> purpose <strong>of</strong> <strong>in</strong>terpretation <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> guarantee <strong>of</strong> gender equality, right to work with human dignity <strong>in</strong> articles14, 15, 19 (I) (g) and 21 <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> Constitution <strong>of</strong> India and <strong>the</strong> safeguards aga<strong>in</strong>st sexual harassment implicit <strong>the</strong>re<strong>in</strong>.” Thenit goes on, “any <strong>in</strong>ternational convention not <strong>in</strong>consistent with <strong>the</strong> fundamental rights and <strong>in</strong> harmony with its spirit must beread <strong>in</strong>to <strong>the</strong>se provisions to enlarge <strong>the</strong> mean<strong>in</strong>g and contents <strong>the</strong>re<strong>of</strong>, to promote <strong>the</strong> object <strong>of</strong> constitutional guaranteeregard must be had to <strong>in</strong>ternational conventions and norms for constru<strong>in</strong>g domestic law when <strong>the</strong>re is no <strong>in</strong>consistencybetween <strong>the</strong>m and <strong>the</strong>re is a void <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> domestic law”. As early as <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> year 1973 <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> constitutional bench judgment <strong>in</strong><strong>the</strong> Keshavanand Bharti’s case <strong>the</strong> Supreme Court underl<strong>in</strong>ed <strong>the</strong> importance <strong>of</strong> <strong>in</strong>ternational covenants <strong>in</strong> <strong>in</strong>terpret<strong>in</strong>g andgiv<strong>in</strong>g contents to <strong>the</strong> fundamental rights <strong>in</strong>cluded <strong>in</strong> part III <strong>of</strong> our Constitution.Similarly, <strong>in</strong> a str<strong>in</strong>g <strong>of</strong> landmark judgments <strong>the</strong> Supreme Court has read <strong>the</strong> provisions <strong>of</strong> various <strong>in</strong>ternational conventions<strong>in</strong>to Article 21 and o<strong>the</strong>r Articles related to fundamental rights. It would, <strong>the</strong>refore, appear that us<strong>in</strong>g article 51 as a tool <strong>in</strong>its hand <strong>the</strong> Supreme Court has been able to <strong>in</strong>ject <strong>in</strong>to part III <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> Constitution <strong>the</strong> vast number <strong>of</strong> rights flow<strong>in</strong>g from <strong>the</strong>United Nations Charter from <strong>the</strong> various conventions ratified by India and, <strong>in</strong> particular, <strong>the</strong> International Convention onCivil and Political Rights 1966 and Convention on <strong>the</strong> Elim<strong>in</strong>ation <strong>of</strong> <strong>all</strong> Forms <strong>of</strong> Discrim<strong>in</strong>ation aga<strong>in</strong>st Women 1979. Infact as many as 28 items out <strong>of</strong> 34 rights <strong>in</strong>cluded <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> United Nations Charter for Human Rights have been <strong>in</strong>cluded <strong>in</strong>part III and part IV <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> Constitution <strong>of</strong> India. In S. R. Bommai Vs Union <strong>of</strong> India’s case <strong>the</strong> Supreme Court held that <strong>the</strong>provisions <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> covenant which elucidate and go to effectuate <strong>the</strong> fundamental rights guaranteed by our Constitution cancerta<strong>in</strong>ly be relied upon by courts as facets <strong>of</strong> those fundamental rights and hence enforceable as such.Article 51 (c) embodies <strong>the</strong> dream <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> found<strong>in</strong>g fa<strong>the</strong>rs <strong>of</strong> our Constitution who wanted peace and harmony <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> world.They were keen to <strong>in</strong>corporate whatever was <strong>the</strong> best <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> <strong>in</strong>terest <strong>of</strong> our nation. At <strong>the</strong> same time <strong>the</strong>y also had tosafeguard aga<strong>in</strong>st <strong>the</strong> over-enthusiasm <strong>of</strong> legislatures lest <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong>ir zeal <strong>the</strong>y compromise on <strong>the</strong> basic <strong>in</strong>tegrity <strong>of</strong> our countryand <strong>in</strong>corporate or ratify conventions which we nei<strong>the</strong>r need nor can afford due to <strong>the</strong> complex and <strong>in</strong>tricate nature <strong>of</strong> ournation. Therefore <strong>the</strong> Constitution envisages a goal for <strong>the</strong> legislature <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> form <strong>of</strong> Directive Pr<strong>in</strong>ciples <strong>of</strong> State Policy.Article 51(c) is one such goal and a tool to fulfill this goal is <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> form <strong>of</strong> enabl<strong>in</strong>g power <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> parliament under article 253read with entry 14 <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> Union list <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> seventh schedule <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> Constitution. In case <strong>of</strong> People’s Union for Civil LibertiesVs Union <strong>of</strong> India <strong>the</strong> Supreme Court referred to Article 17 <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights 1966and Article 12 <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> Universal Declaration <strong>of</strong> Human Rights 1948 so as to derive from Article 21 a right to privacy <strong>in</strong> India.The Court observed <strong>in</strong> this connection “International law today is not conf<strong>in</strong>ed today to regulat<strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong> relations between <strong>the</strong>states but <strong>the</strong> scope cont<strong>in</strong>ues to extend. Today, matters <strong>of</strong> social concern such as health, education, and economics apartfrom human rights f<strong>all</strong> with<strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> ambit <strong>of</strong> <strong>in</strong>ternational regulations. International law is more than ever aimed at <strong>in</strong>dividuals.It is almost an accepted proposition <strong>of</strong> law that <strong>the</strong> rules <strong>of</strong> Customary International Law which are not contrary toMunicipal Law sh<strong>all</strong> be deemed to be <strong>in</strong>corporated <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> domestic law. All <strong>the</strong>se would <strong>in</strong>dicate <strong>the</strong> pre-em<strong>in</strong>ent position<strong>of</strong> Article 51 (c) <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> Constitution enjoys as <strong>in</strong> this country foster<strong>in</strong>g respect for International Law and treaty obligationwith one ano<strong>the</strong>r. This has resulted <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> International Law be<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong>jected <strong>in</strong>to <strong>the</strong> domestic law with <strong>the</strong> Constitution be<strong>in</strong>gclassified as municipal law for this purpose. As a result through very proactive Judiciary which has utilized <strong>in</strong>terpretative skillby utiliz<strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong> provisions <strong>of</strong> Article 51 for extend<strong>in</strong>g vast rights and expand<strong>in</strong>g <strong>the</strong> exist<strong>in</strong>g rights by giv<strong>in</strong>g effect to <strong>the</strong>International Conventions which it has ratified though no municipal law has been enacted to implement <strong>the</strong>se treaties.The demand for a World Parliament and Enforceable International Law raised by em<strong>in</strong>ent th<strong>in</strong>kers, philosophers andhuman rights activist from time to time has <strong>of</strong>ten be<strong>in</strong>g dismissed by powerful nations as an Utopia. But <strong>the</strong>n even <strong>the</strong>League <strong>of</strong> Nations or present days United Nations was considered to be so even <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> 19th and early 20th century, but<strong>the</strong>y are reality now. However, <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> words <strong>of</strong> Dr S. Radhakrishnan, <strong>the</strong> former President <strong>of</strong> India, ‘The world has gottoge<strong>the</strong>r as a body; it is grop<strong>in</strong>g for a soul”. May I <strong>in</strong>voke at this juncture <strong>the</strong> famous Ch<strong>in</strong>ese proverb to <strong>the</strong> effect that “Inpitch darkness even if you cannot light 100 candles-light just one candle and you will be diffus<strong>in</strong>g darkness”.The humanist <strong>the</strong>refore need not to be dejected and need not give up <strong>the</strong>ir efforts to develop <strong>the</strong> present world forumavailable namely <strong>the</strong> United Nations, to a future World Parliament.The endeavor <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> convenor <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> present Conference Mr Jagdish Gandhi, <strong>the</strong> Founder-Manager, CMS has at leastlight one such candle which may serve as a lighthouse to <strong>the</strong> entire humanity <strong>in</strong> future and I <strong>the</strong>refore congratulate him for <strong>the</strong>same. I also pr<strong>of</strong>usely thank Shri Gandhi and his team for giv<strong>in</strong>g me this opportunity; I wish <strong>the</strong> Conference <strong>all</strong> success. JaiJagat.--87--