The Darkest Hour

Dipak Misra’s appointment as the Chief Justice of India despite his indictment for land fraud was a frightening omen. Much of what it portended has come to pass since he secured the office. Misra’s use of his power to assign cases to select benches has been publicly questioned, even by some of his fellow justices. Meanwhile, the Supreme Court has either dismissed or indefinitely adjourned numerous politically sensitive cases, and Misra has been uncomplaining on the government’s defiance of the recommendations of the judicial collegium. Earlier this year, Misra became the first CJI ever to face an attempt to impeach him. For that, and for much else, his record will stand prominently in the history of the Supreme Court.

Also in this issue:

Ashok Parthasarathi on Indira Gandhi’s decision to hold the Indian Army back from Peshawar in 1971; Hartosh Singh Bal on the BJP’s desperation to woo OBCs ahead of the 2019 polls; Alok Prasanna Kumar on how the increasingly partisan role of the speaker compromises democracy; Pranav Kuttaiah on how Pa Ranjith’s Kaala changes the way we imagine the city; Martand Kaushik on how GN Devy challenges our concept of knowledge; Saumya Khandelwal on the pervasiveness of child marriage in Shravasti, Uttar Pradesh