Supreme Court judge, Justice Ujjal Bhuyan, on Saturday (January 24, 2026) said judges should not be seen or perceived as bending over backwards to justify denial of liberty or human rights, warning that “if we lose our credibility, nothing will be left of the judiciary”.
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“Independence of the judiciary is a basic feature of our Constitution. It is non-negotiable. It is for the judiciary, or rather the members of the judiciary, to see to it that its independence is maintained at all costs in order to ensure its continued relevance and legitimacy. If we lose our credibility, nothing will be left of the judiciary. It will be there, judges will be there, courts will be there, it will adjudicate, but its heart and soul will have evaporated,” Justice Bhuyan said.
The judge obliquely referred to the Supreme Court Collegium’s decision on October 14, 2025, to recommend the transfer of then Madhya Pradesh High Court judge, Justice Atul Sreedharan, to the Allahabad High Court instead of the Chhattisgarh High Court on the request of the government.
The October 14 resolution of the apex court Collegium, headed by then Chief Justice of India B.R. Gavai, said the change of mind was triggered by a “reconsideration sought by the government”.
