India, Feb. 1 -- Justice Hrishikesh Roy, who demitted office on Friday after a five-year tenure at the Supreme Court, has underscored a key challenge in judicial accountability -- the existence of a "raksha kavach" (protective armour) in the Constitution that shields both good and bad judges. This form of constitutional and legal protection, he suggested, makes redressal mechanisms inadequate in cases of judicial misconduct, such as the controversy surrounding Allahabad high court judge Shekhar Yadav.

Justice Yadav was called for a meeting with the Supreme Court collegium, which included Justice Roy, on December 17 after his contentious remarks at a Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) event raised questions of bias and constitutional impropriety...