Justice Oka Rebuts Sanyal’s Claim That Judiciary Blocks India’s Growth

• Justice Abhay Oka says citizens can criticise judiciary but must cite examples and constitutional grounds.
• Remarks come after Sanjeev Sanyal called the judiciary a major obstacle to India’s development.
• Justice Oka stresses that constructive criticism strengthens democracy and accountability.
• SCBA President Vikas Singh slams Sanyal’s comments as “irresponsible” and “ignorant” of judicial functioning.

GG News Bureau
New Delhi, 30th Oct: Former Supreme Court judge Justice Abhay S. Oka has said that while every citizen has the right to offer constructive criticism of the judiciary, such criticism must be based on specific examples proving that court orders have obstructed development or violated the Constitution.

His comments came in response to recent remarks by Sanjeev Sanyal, a member of the Prime Minister’s Economic Advisory Council, who described the judiciary as the “single biggest hurdle” to India becoming a developed nation.

“This learned man should have given instances of those judicial orders which, according to him, obstructed and hindered the Viksit Bharat,” Justice Oka said, indirectly referring to Sanyal. “He should have given particulars of those orders. If he had, his criticism would have become constructive criticism, which would be most welcome. Every citizen of India has the right to offer constructive criticism of the judiciary and its orders, and at any cost, we must support that right,” he added.

Justice Oka made the remarks while addressing the Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) lecture series on “Clean Air, Climate Justice, and We – Together for a Sustainable Future” on Wednesday.

He clarified that criticism of judicial orders is valid “only if someone establishes that these are the orders which violated the Constitution and prevented development within its framework.”

Sanyal, while speaking at the Nyaya Nirmaan 2025 conference last month, had stated: “We effectively have somewhere between 20–25 years to become Viksit Bharat… but the judicial system in particular, is now, in my view, the single biggest hurdle to becoming Viksit Bharat and growing rapidly.”

Sanyal had also criticised long court vacations and the continued use of traditional terms like “My Lord” in court proceedings.

Reacting sharply, SCBA President and senior advocate Vikas Singh called Sanyal’s remarks “irresponsible” and “made in bad taste,” asserting that they reflected a lack of understanding of how the judiciary functions.

“Anyone commenting on the vacations of higher courts completely lacks understanding. These vacations are not a time when judges or lawyers remain idle. They are essential for research, writing judgments, and managing pending work,” Singh stated.

Justice Oka’s remarks underscored the importance of maintaining respect for judicial institutions while encouraging reasoned d