oppn parties Thikc Skin, Not Thin Cases: Supreme Court Asks Politicians To Grow Up

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  • Supreme Court questions the continuing relevance of two-child norms. The Court observed that falling fertility rates have weakened the population-control rationale behind laws disqualifying people with more than two children from contesting local body elections. It referred the issue to a larger Bench for consideration
  • Supreme Court declines to shift Tirupati laddu case outside Andhra Pradesh. The Court rejected a plea seeking transfer of the trial, despite arguments that political statements by Andhra Pradesh's Chief Minister and Deputy Chief Minister could affect the fairness of proceedings
  • Supreme Court transfers Azam Khan's fresh ED bail plea to Allahabad High Court. The apex court declined to consider the Samajwadi Party leader's bail request in a fresh Enforcement Directorate case and directed that it be listed before a division Bench of the High Court on November 16
  • Two killed in Delhi building collapse; contractor booked. Two bodies were recovered after a building collapsed in Chawri Bazaar. Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta said the contractor had been booked and the concerned junior and assistant engineers suspended
  • Uttar Pradesh voter rolls show a 2.4-crore discrepancy. A difference of approximately 2.4 crore names has been reported between the state's panchayat and rural Assembly voter lists. The Election Commission has ordered the two sets of rolls to be matched
  • Gujarat announces 3% dearness allowance hike. The state government announced a three-percentage-point increase in dearness allowance for government employees and pensioners ahead of Diwali
  • Sensex and Nifty post their strongest single-day gains in months. The Sensex surged 2,008.61 points, or 2.60%, to close at 79,310.01, while the Nifty 50 climbed 576 points, or 2.40%, to 24,536.60. Financial and automobile stocks led the rally, supported by falling crude prices and renewed foreign investor buying
  • Maaya Rajeshwaran reaches WTA-level quarter-final. The 17-year-old Indian defeated Poland's Weronika Falkowska 6-4, 6-3, becoming the first Indian woman since Sania Mirza in 2012 to reach a quarter-final at a WTA Tour-level singles event
  • Tanvi Patri reaches Youth Olympics badminton final. The 15-year-old defeated Japan's Yuzuno Watanabe in the semi-final, assuring India of a medal and becoming the first Indian badminton player to reach the girls' singles final at the Youth Olympics
  • India beat Pakistan 3-2 in SAFF Championship. India defeated Pakistan in a closely contested match, having led 3-0 before conceding two late goals. The victory was reported as a significant result for India's second-string side
  • India beat Japan 4-1 to win a record sixth Asian Champions Trophy. India recovered from an early deficit to defeat Japan in the final at Mohali, extending its record as the tournament's most successful men's team
  • The Supreme Court issued notice to the Centre and the Election Commission on a petition challenging Section 16 of the Chief Election Commissioner and Other Election Commissioners Act, 2023, which grants the CEC and Election Commissioners protection from legal proceedings for acts performed in their official duties. The petition argues that such blanket immunity could leave citizens without an effective remedy for alleged wrongdoing by the Commission
  • The Supreme Court told voters whose names were deleted from Delhi's draft electoral rolls not to be apprehensive about seeking re-enrolment through Form 6, after the Election Commission assured it that such applicants would not be prosecuted merely because their names had appeared in earlier rolls
  • Congress leader Rahul Gandhi opened the party's campaign for the 2027 Punjab Assembly elections with an Insaaf rally in Sangrur, Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann's home district, accusing the AAP government of failing to control drugs, gangster violence and corruption. Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge outlined six commitments, including a drug-free Punjab, protection of farmers, employment for young people and action against corruption
  • Rahul Gandhi accused the AAP government of running Punjab through a remote control from Delhi and questioned Bhagwant Mann's ability to tackle drug abuse, making personal allegations about the Chief Minister's conduct during their time together in Parliament
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Thikc Skin, Not Thin Cases: Supreme Court Asks Politicians To Grow Up

By Sunil Garodia
First publised on 2025-09-09 07:34:34

About the Author

Sunil Garodia Editor-in-Chief of indiacommentary.com. Current Affairs analyst and political commentator. Author of Cyber Scams in India, Digital Arrest, The Money Trap and The Human Hack

The Supreme Court yesterday sternly reminded politicians that political battles should not be brought to the court room. Politicians, the judges said, need to grow thicker skins and stop rushing to court every time their egos are bruised when an opponent says something they are offended with.

This message was overdue. In a democracy, stinging words, heated debates, and even strident criticism are normal as long as they are not hateful or indecent. Politics was never polite, not only in India but worldwide. In India, since 2014, it has become even more ugly. If the BJP is guilty of starting the trend to hit below the belt, the opposition is equally guilty of reciprocating in kind. If every jibe or insult turns into a legal battle, the courts end up drowning in cases that have little to do with justice and everything to do with bruised egos.

Over the years, politicians of all shades and levels have increasingly tried to weaponize the legal system as an extension of their fights. It wastes judicial time, distracts from the real issues citizens care about and leaves politicians will less time and energy to focus on the problems of the people.

Political debates must be fought with ideas, not affidavits. That is why the Supreme Court has asked politicians to develop thick skins. Since there is no bar on what is termed as 'unparliamentary' language outside the Parliament, there will be barbs and vile comments thrown about as long as civility is not a part of public discourse. By urging politicians to toughen up, the Court is pushing for a healthier political culture.

This does not mean the courts have no role. If speech crosses into hate or incitement, the law must step in. But the normal cut-and-thrust of politics, that includes taunts, exaggerations, even unkind words, should not concern the judiciary. All these are part of the messy and noisy process that keeps democracy alive.

Politics works best when people's representatives' spell out their ideas in rallies, legislatures, and public conversations and parties do the same in their manifestos, not in writs and affidavits. Politicians have to accept that criticism is the price of relevance. Only then will the courts be free from political theatrics and be able to focus on the justice that really matters.