Dynastic system and money negate political justice: Justice Chelameswar

Ahmedabad: Amid debate over dynastic politics, Supreme Court judge Justice Jasti Chelameswar on Saturday said money power and dynastic system "negate political justice" contemplated by the framers of Constitution.

Lamenting the "lack of political justice" in India, he said the role of money and dynasty play in the electoral process undermines political justice as not everyone can effectively aspire to contest an election.

"Coming to equality and justice in political sphere, while the elementary step is achieved –we have abolished monarchy and rules of primogeniture –how far we have secured political justice in the sense that all people of the country can aspire to effectively participate in the democratic electoral process?" Justice Chelameswar said.

He was speaking on the topic- 'The Preamble Pledge of Social, Economic, and Political Justice: Are We Out of Order'- organised here as part of the Justice P D Desai Memorial Lecture.

"The kind of role which money plays in electoral process, itself is a negation of political justice contemplated by the Constitution in its Preamble," Justice Chelameswar said.

"Ultimately it is the money power, which determines the eligibility of a man to becoming a member of the legislative body," he said, adding it is up to the next generation to handle the situation for "a better society, for better governance and getting a better set of people".

"Another facet of political injustice is the age-old problem of this country -- the syndrome of hierarchy, the seniority rule, the dynasties," Justice Chelameswar further said.

"Invariably, when somebody becomes a member of the legislative body, his wife, children, everybody line up to occupy the slot.

"This is another form of political injustice. Everybody is entitled, there is nothing wrong in that. But the only determining factor has come to be a person's relation to the existing member in the public life," he said.