States and Centre must amicably resolve disputes: P Sathasivam

NEW DELHI: States and the Centre must resolve their disputes promptly and amicably to ensure that migrants don't suffer due to their indecision, former Chief Justice of India P Sathasivam said.

"The lack of coordination between the Centre and states has led to the suffering of migrants, who are suffering to get home," said Justice Sathasivam. Even when they manage to get home, they do so in unsafe conditions and fail to follow social distancing norms, he added.

Justice Sathasivam, also a former governor of Kerala, was speaking at a webinar titled 'COVID 19: Constitutional and Legal Conundrums', organised by the School of Law of Bennett University, part of The Times of India Group that publishes The Economic Times. The webinar discussed the effect of the coronavirus pandemic on the legal industry in the country.


"The unity and integrity of the nation is of paramount importance, and applies to all its citizens," said the 40th Chief Justice of India.

The root of this problem can be traced back to when the central government announced the nationwide lockdown on March 24 without consulting some states, he said. Currently, states ruled by opposition parties have publicly voiced their discontent with the handling of the lockdown, he added.

He further said that the government needed to promptly solve another issue, in addition to the migrant crisis, that of the irregular medical supplies.

Justice Sathasivam served as the chief justice of India between 2013 and 2014. On retirement from his judiciary career in 2014, he was appointed as the governor of Kerala, the first under the Narendra Modi-led government. He held the position till last year.

He also highlighted the need for mutual trust and communication between states, so as to ensure the welfare of both individuals and businesses.

The former Chief Justice said there were laws in place to protect the interests of both parties. Pointing attention to Article 301, Justice Sathasivam said freedom of trade was crucial, and the governments could make use of this law to enforce changes. "This article mandates the Centre and state to enact various laws, schemes, and orders for the welfare of citizens in their states," he said.