The article by Nilofar Suharawardy on Afzal Guru’s execution shows lack of judicial standards in India. The judiciary cannot define the term the rarest of rare cases. The same judge decides the case one way and the next day he does it another way while adjudicating on a similar case. Though the judiciary is supposed to be independent, it is not so. The government of the day decides the judges there is no strict yardstick for selection of judges. People who are exemplary and outstanding never become judges and it is the tier II and tier III category people who are selected as judges. Politicians can err but the judiciary should never err. A fair trial is a hallmark of democracy. But none in India can question the judiciary because of the contempt provisions and therefore judicial errors continue to happen and the common man continues to suffer. — S. S. Venkata Subramanian, By e-mail
Lack of judicial standards
