Justice Kurian Joseph. File.
| Photo Credit: The Hindu
Former Supreme Court judge Justice Kurian Joseph, who will head a high-level three-member committee appointed by the Tamil Nadu government to review the provisions of the Constitution and laws to suggest measures to strengthen State autonomy and federalism, said the panel will examine if Centre-State relations need glasnost (transparency), and if need be, an exercise of perestroika (restructuring/reform) to fulfil the needs of the hour and live up to the expectations of the people.
“I take it as an honour. I appreciate the timely and thoughtful initiative taken by the Honourable Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, M.K. Stalin. As a matter of fact, his father — Honourable M. Karunanidhi — had once appointed P.V. Rajamannar Committee to look into the Centre-States relations. Now, it is almost six decades since that study was done,” Justice Kurian told The Hindu in a telephonic message.
Justice Kurian said the Constitution was an organic document that should live up to the aspirations of people for all times.
“What should be the Constitution in the changing times and what should be the relationship of the Centre and the States is something to be examined periodically. The fiscal relationship, the administrative relationship, the legislative relationship, in all these, the need of the hour must be tested. So, it needs a glasnost to look into, and if necessary to do an exercise of perestroika,” said the former judge.
The retired judge said he hoped the committee would be in a position to “visit, evaluate, re-state the fundamental principles under the Constitution governing Centre-State relations, and also take, rather suggest, measures appropriate for a healthy relationship between the Centre and the States”.
“India is a Union of States. If it is truly a Union of States, how should this unity be maintained is something to be seen according to the need of the hour as well. Hope this study will help in this context,” Justice Kurian said.
The former top court judge said his only condition to accept the assignment was that he would do it only as an honorary work and would not accept any remuneration.
“My work for remuneration is arbitration, consultation and mediation. That I will do along with this work. He [Mr. Stalin] has graciously accepted,” Justice Kurian said.
Mr. Stalin, in a suo motu announcement in the Legislative Assembly, conveyed the formation of a three-member high-level committee to review the provisions of the Constitution, laws and policies with respect to Centre-State relations and recommend appropriate steps to strengthen the States’ autonomy and federalism.
Retired IAS officer and former Vice-Chancellor of the Indian Maritime University K. Ashok Vardhan Shetty and former vice-chairman, State Planning Commission, M. Naganathan, would be the other two members of the committee .
The mandate of the high-level committee includes to review the Constitutional provisions, laws, rules and policies with respect to Centre-State relations; to recommend ways to restore subjects moved from the State List to the Concurrent List; to propose measures for States to overcome administrative challenges; to suggest reforms to ensure maximum autonomy for States without compromising the unity and integrity of the nation; and to consider the recommendations of the Rajamannar Committee and subsequent commissions formed by the Union government on the Centre-State relations in light of current political, social, and economic developments.
Published – April 15, 2025 11:29 pm IST