Why did the appointment of Justice A.N. Ray become politically controversial?
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 2
The correct answer is Option (2) → All the three judges who were superseded had given rulings against the stand of the government.
Option (1) He decided that the basic features of the Constitution were amendable by the Parliament. — Incorrect. It was the Supreme Court in the Kesavananda Bharati case that ruled that there are some basic features of the Constitution and the Parliament cannot amend these features; this was not Justice Ray’s decision.
Option (2) All the three judges who were superseded had given rulings against the stand of the government. — Correct. In 1973 the government set aside the seniority of three judges to make Justice A. N. Ray the Chief Justice, and the appointment became controversial because all the three judges who were superseded had given rulings against the stand of the government.
Option (3) Powers of the judiciary were getting mixed up rapidly in the light of Emergency. — Incorrect. The appointment was made in 1973, two years before the Emergency of June 1975.
Option (4) Special powers to the union government were taken away by his decision. — Incorrect. The controversy was about setting aside the seniority of judges, not about any decision of his.
NCERT (2025-26): “Conflict with Judiciary … It had been a practice to appoint the senior-most judge of the Supreme Court as the Chief Justice. But in 1973, the government set aside the seniority of three judges and appointed Justice A. N. Ray as the Chief Justice of India. The appointment became politically controversial because all the three judges who were superseded had given rulings against the stand of the government.…” |