Syllabus: GS-II, Subject: Polity, Topic: Judiciary and Tribunals, Issue: Independence of Judiciary
Context: A Calcutta high court judge resigned to join a political party.
Concerns with judges joining politics post retirement/resignation:
- Raises questions about judicial independence and integrity.
- Raises doubts about the integrity of past judgments.
The way ahead:
- Revisit the Bangalore Principles of Judicial Conduct to address judiciary-politics transitions.
- The Law Commission recommended a cooling-off period of at least two years.
- Consider increasing the retirement age for judges.
