Topic of the day:-“The ‘Ultimate Test’“
Memorably, he says that the “ultimate test” is whether the ouster of “judicial review is designed to achieve a constitutional purpose” that “meets the test of functionality, assessed in terms of a constitutional necessity”. Pointedly, Justice Chandrachud says: “In the seventh decade of the republic, our interpretation of the Constitution must subserve the need to liberate it from its colonial detritus.” Accordingly, he holds that the decision to give the Aadhaar Bill the status of a Money Bill violates the principle of bicameralism, declared as a part of basic structure, and an aspect of federalism and entails a “debasement of a democratic institution” which “cannot be allowed to pass. Institutions are crucial to democracy. Debasing them can only cause a peril to democratic structures”. Why was the majority not persuaded by the Chandrachud dissent is a question that will for long haunt those who prize democracy and rule of law values as essential for the future of putting the Constitution to work.
MEANINGS AND WORDS
1) enunciation
Meaning : say or pronounce clearly.
Synonyms : diction , articulation
Antonyms : verdict
Example : “she enunciated each word slowly”
2) exclude
Meaning : deny (someone) access to a place, group, or privilege.
Synonyms : eliminate , reject
Antonyms : include
Example : “the public were excluded from the board meeting”
3) enigmatic
Meaning : difficult to interpret or understand; mysterious.
Synonyms : puzzling , cryptic
Antonyms : clear
Example : “he took the money with an enigmatic smile”
4) scrutiny
Meaning : critical observation or examination.
Synonyms : examination , inspection
Antonyms : inspection
Example : “every aspect of local government was placed under scrutiny“
5) discretion
Meaning : the quality of behaving or speaking in such a way as to avoid causing offence or revealing confidential information.
Synonyms : prudence , caution
Antonyms : paranoia
Example : “she knew she could rely on his discretion”
6) purposive
Meaning : having or done with a purpose.
Synonyms : purposeful
Antonyms : aimless
Example : “teaching is a purposive activity”
7) emanations
Meaning : something which originates or issues from a source.
Synonyms : exhalations , odors
Example : “she saw the insults as emanations of his own tortured personality”
