11th NCERT Political Science Part 2 Chapter 6

Parliament has no say in the appointment of judges.

Independence of the judiciary does not imply arbitrariness or absence of accountability. Judiciary is a part of the democratic political structure of the country. It is therefore accountable to the Constitution, to the democratic traditions, and to the people of the country.

The Constitution ensures the independence of the judiciary through measures such as non-involvement of the legislature in the appointment of judges, fixed tenure for judges, financial independence from the executive or legislature, immunity of actions and decisions from personal criticisms, and limited involvement of Parliament in discussing the conduct of judges except during removal proceedings.

The case involved pollution caused by Reliance Energy's thermal power plant affecting chikoo growers in the Dahanu area. The farmers were the beneficiaries while the company REL was the respondent. The farmers argued against the pollution effects on their crops while the company may have argued in defense of their operations.

The independence of judiciary is ensured by the Indian Constitution through several measures including non-involvement of the legislature in judge appointments, fixed tenure for judges, financial independence from the executive or legislature, immunity of actions from personal criticisms, power to penalise contempt of court, limited Parliamentary discussion on judges' conduct, and a difficult removal procedure for judges.