Lessons for India in UK apex court order that upholds democratic accountability of parliament | The Indian Express

Lessons for India in UK apex court order that upholds democratic accountability of parliament | The Indian Express

Written by Upendra Baxi |Updated: September 26, 2019 11:00:26 am

The writer is professor of law, University of Warwick,and former vice chancellor of Universities of South Gujarat and Delhi.

Lessons for India in UK apex court order that upholds democratic accountability of parliament

This was truly a Kesavananda Bharati moment for the British court. But unlike the full Indian court, there was no riot of concurring and dissenting opinions.

In a setback for Johnson, Britain’s Supreme Court has ruled that the suspension of Parliament was illegal. (AP Photo/Frank Augstein)

The United Kingdom Supreme Court, in a slender but significant judgment, decided that the prorogation of parliament by the Queen of England, acting on the advice of the Privy Council, was unlawful on the grounds of parliamentary sovereignty and democratic accountability.