Editorials/Opinions Analysis For UPSC 22 January 2026

Content

1. Judicial Removal (Impeachment of Judges) in India
2. Water Bankruptcy & the Case for Water Accounting

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Judicial Removal (Impeachment of Judges) in India

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Context

• Trigger
  • Renewed debate following failed / stalled removal attempts against higher judiciary judges despite serious allegations .
• Recent References
  • Parliamentary discussions and legal commentary highlighting procedural roadblocks under the Judges (Inquiry) Act, 1968.
  • Rising concerns about accountability deficit in higher judiciary.
  • Raises tension between judicial independence vs accountability.

Conceptual & Static Foundation

Core Concept

• Judicial Removal :
  • A constitutional mechanism to remove a judge of the Supreme Court or High Court on grounds of:
    • Proved misbehaviour
    • Incapacity
• Constitutional Basis
  • Article 124(4) – Supreme Court judges
  • Article 217(1)(b) – High Court judges
• Statutory Framework
  • Judges (Inquiry) Act, 1968 + Judges (Inquiry) Rules, 1969

Historical Evolution

• Constituent Assembly
  • Intentionally made removal difficult to protect judicial independence.
• Post-1950Justice Soumitra Sen (2011) – resigned before final removal.
• Trend
  • Shift from moral authority of judiciary → demand for institutional accountability.

Constitutional & Legal Dimensions

• Key Articles
  • Article 124(4): Removal by Parliament with special majority.
  • Article 124(5): Parliament empowered to regulate procedure.
• Procedure
  • Motion signed by:
    • 100 MPs (Lok Sabha) or 50 MPs (Rajya Sabha)
  • Admission by Speaker / Chairman
  • 3-member Inquiry Committee:
    • SC judge
    • HC Chief Justice
    • Distinguished jurist
• Supreme Court Interpretation
  • C. Ravichandran Iyer v. Justice A.M. Bhattacharjee (1995):
    • High ethical standards expected; impeachment is not sole accountability mechanism.
• Separation of Powers Issue
  • Presiding officer’s discretionary power creates a constitutional grey zone.

Governance & Administrative Dimensions

• Institutional Actors
  • Parliament (political threshold)
  • Presiding Officers (Speaker / Vice-President)
  • Inquiry Committee (quasi-judicial)
• Key Governance Gap
  • No obligation on Speaker/Chairman to:
    • Admit motion
    • Provide reasons for rejection
• Coordination Issue
  • Judiciary investigates itself → perception of bias.
• Result
  • Accountability becomes procedurally hostage to political discretion.

Economic Dimensions

• Indirect Economic Impact
  • Weak judicial accountability:
    • Undermines investor confidence
    • Affects contract enforcement
    • Increases litigation uncertainty
• World Bank (Rule of Law Index logic)
  • Judicial credibility directly correlates with ease of doing business and economic growth.

Social, Ethical & Equity Dimensions

• Ethical Concerns
  • Judges exercising power over citizens without effective removal threat.
• Impact on Vulnerable Groups
  • Victims of judicial misconduct (women, litigants) face:
    • No external redress
    • Closed institutional processes
• Constitutional Values
  • Article 14 (Equality before law)
  • Article 21 (Due process, dignity)
• SDG Link
  • SDG 16: Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions

Security / Technology Dimensions

• Security Angle
  • Loss of public faith can fuel:
    • Institutional distrust
    • Democratic erosion
• Technology
  • Absence of transparent digital disclosure mechanisms for complaints.

Data & Evidence

• Zero judges removed through full impeachment since 1950.
• Over 5 impeachment motions moved; most failed at admission stage.
• Special Majority Requirement:
  • Majority of total membership + 2/3rd of members present & voting.
• Judicial Vacancies:
  • Over 25–30% vacancies in High Courts (Law Ministry data), amplifying institutional stress.

Challenges, Gaps & Criticisms

Structural / Institutional Issues

• Over-concentration of power in Speaker/Chairman.
• Judiciary effectively judging its own members.

Implementation & Design Issues

• No time-limit for:
  • Admission of motion
  • Completion of inquiry
• Extremely high political threshold discourages MPs.

Expert / Committee Criticism

• ARC (2nd ARC, Ethics in Governance):
  • Recommended independent judicial oversight mechanism.
• Legal Scholars
  • Impeachment is a “dead letter”—symbolic, not functional.

Way Forward 

• Procedural Reforms
  • Speaker/Chairman should record written reasons for admission/rejection.
  • Statutory time-bound stages for inquiry.
• Institutional Reform
  • Establish Judicial Complaints Commission (revive NJAC-like accountability without compromising independence).
• Transparency
  • Annual public report on judicial complaints (anonymised).
• Ethical Safeguards
  • Strong in-house mechanisms with external oversight.
• Constitutional Balance
  • Accountability without executive dominance.

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Water Bankruptcy & the Case for Water Accounting

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Context

• Trigger
  • Editorial discourse on “Water bankruptcy” highlighting unsustainable water extraction amid climate shocks.
• Context
  • India facing simultaneous floods, droughts, groundwater depletion, and water quality collapse.
  • Climate change amplifying hydrological extremes.

Conceptual & Static Foundation

Core Concept

• Water Bankruptcy
  • A structural condition where water withdrawals exceed natural recharge, leading to:
    • Irreversible depletion
    • Ecological damage
    • Declining water quality
    • Long-term economic & human security risks
• Core Idea
  • Treats water as natural capital, not an infinite public good.
• International Reference
  • UN-Water: Warns of a global demand–supply gap of ~40% by 2030.

Historical Evolution

• Traditional Phase
  • Community-based systems (tanks, stepwells, johads) ensured local recharge–use balance.
• Post-Green Revolution
  • Shift to:
    • Tube wells
    • Free/subsidised electricity
    • Water-intensive crops
• Current Phase
  • Climate-driven hydrological instability + governance failure → water bankruptcy.

Constitutional & Legal Dimensions

• Constitutional Position
  • Water is a State subject – Entry 17, State List.
• Union Role
  • Entry 56, Union List: Inter-state rivers.
  • Article 262: Inter-state river disputes.
• Key Laws / Policies
  • National Water Policy (2012) – non-binding
  • Model Groundwater Bill – limited state adoption
• Judicial Interventions
  • Supreme Court: Right to clean water implicit under Article 21.
• Federal Challenge
  • Fragmented authority with weak enforcement capacity.

Governance & Administrative Dimensions

• Institutional Landscape
  • Ministry of Jal Shakti
  • Central Ground Water Board (CGWB)
  • State water resource departments
• Governance Gap
  • No mandatory water accounting at basin/state/farm level.
• Centre–State Issues
  • Data asymmetry
  • Politicisation of river disputes
• Implementation Deficit
  • Schemes focus on supply augmentation, not demand management.

Economic Dimensions

• Macroeconomic Impact
  • Agriculture (~80% of freshwater use) most vulnerable.
  • Water stress threatens food security & rural livelihoods.
• Productivity Loss
  • Over-irrigation → soil salinity, declining yields.
• Economic Survey Insight
  • Efficient irrigation can significantly improve water-use productivity.
• Global Evidence
  • World Bank links water scarcity to GDP loss of up to 6% in water-stressed economies.

Social, Ethical & Equity Dimensions

• Equity Concerns
  • Rich farmers access groundwater; poor depend on failing surface sources.
• Gender Dimension
  • Women bear disproportionate burden of water scarcity.
• Ethical Issue
  • Inter-generational injustice: current extraction mortgaging future needs.
• DPSP & SDG Link
  • Article 39(b): Equitable distribution of material resources.
  • SDG 6: Clean Water and Sanitation.

Environmental / Climate Dimensions

• Climate Linkages
  • Himalayan snow decline
  • Erratic monsoon
  • Intense rainfall + long dry spells
• Ecological Impact
  • Wetland loss
  • River baseflow reduction
  • Biodiversity stress
• Pollution Nexus
  • Lower flows → higher concentration of pollutants.

Data & Evidence

• India extracts ~250 billion cubic metres of groundwater annually – highest globally.
• ~10.8% of India’s groundwater units are over-exploited or critical (CGWB-2025).
• Per capita water availability declined from ~5,000 m³ (1950) to ~1,486 m³ today.
• Agriculture uses ~80% of freshwater.
• UN projects 40% global water deficit by 2030.

Challenges, Gaps & Criticisms

Structural / Institutional Issues

• Absence of basin-level water governance.
• Weak groundwater regulation.

Implementation & Design Issues

• Free power incentives distort farmer behaviour.
• Lack of real-time data on withdrawals and recharge.
• Poor adoption of micro-irrigation beyond subsidies.

Expert / Committee Criticism

• NITI Aayog (CWMI):
  • Warns of severe water stress threatening India’s growth trajectory.
• CAG Reports
  • Highlight inefficiencies in irrigation projects and command area development.

Way Forward

• Water Accounting
  • Mandatory basin-level and aquifer-level water budgeting.
• Demand Management
  • Crop diversification away from water-intensive crops.
  • Rationalisation of electricity subsidies.
• Institutional Reform
  • Strengthen CGWB with regulatory powers.
• Technology
  • Remote sensing + AI for real-time water monitoring.
• Community Approach
  • Revive traditional water harvesting systems.
• Policy Alignment
  • Update National Water Policy with legal backing.

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