NEW DELHI, Jan. 23 -- It is out in the open, as never before. It is no longer sparring practice between two friends before a serious fight. This is a slugfest that has brought into the ring virtually all who matter: the stake-holders and other vested interests. On the one hand, the Government is represented by the Vice-President, the Law Minister, law officers who are Government appointees; on the other hand is the Judiciary headed by the Chief Justice of India, the Collegium, several judges and other legal luminaires. On both sides of the debate are Constitutional experts (and interpreters), organisations and platforms, social scientists and activists, academics and other intellectuals.

The points of debate are seemingly contentious; t...