Justice Nagarathna Highlights Judicial Independence and Separation of Powers in Constitutional Governance

Supreme Court Justice B.V. Nagarathna emphasized judicial independence as encompassing a judge's freedom to dissent from colleagues, highlighting intellectual autonomy as vital to institutional integrity. Speaking at the Kerala High Court, she underscored the importance of respecting the separation of powers to uphold constitutionalism, noting that courts maintain legitimacy by protecting rights beyond popular sentiment. She linked transformative constitutionalism with the basic structure doctrine, stressing the judiciary's role in limiting majoritarian authority to preserve liberty and equality.