CHIEF Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry has stated, in unmistakably clear terms, that the judiciary has the authority to examine the irregularities committed by the government and prevent the abuse of power, stressing also the importance of a system of checks and balances. He counselled Parliament to make laws in accordance with the Constitution and within the limitations imposed by it. He was inaugurating a three-day National Judicial Conference at Islamabad on Friday. Chief Justice Chaudhrys points can hardly be questioned; the powers of the different pillars of the state are laid out in the Constitution, and if each were to exercise them honestly in accordance with law, there would be little cause for dispute. Thus, he maintained that in the performance of this duty of examining the irregularities that came to its notice, the judiciary was not trying to come into clash with the government. The question is why, after all, the Chief Justice felt the need to bring out this acknowledged fact about the judiciarys duties. That is because a mindless tendency has been in evidence, for quite some time past, among the top government functionaries and activists of the political parties in power to question the role of the judiciary in taking up certain issues that they consider are outside of its domain. The tendency became more pronounced with the annulment of the NRO by the Supreme Court last December and the specific directives it issued on certain points whose compliance the government found unpalatable. While the citizenry, especially the informed sections of society, were taken aback by the governments defiant attitude, which they thought could fall under the purview of the contempt of court, the judiciary kept a dignified posture befitting its status and kept doing its job, at times pulling up the errant officials. The government has not changed its tack, however, perhaps secure in the assumption that it is hard to challenge its position after the nation has had a long and frustrating experience with a dictator. That is certainly a valid point, but the stories that it is running riot with corrupt practices have been compelling the courts to do their duty. Chief Justice Chaudhrys remarks that in a democratic set-up, the system of checks and balances must be respected and that the judiciary should distance itself from political process and function in an honest manner should be reassuring to those who have had any apprehension that it is intruding into the spheres of authority of other institutions of the state. At the same time, it must be stressed that the interpretation of laws and Constitution and addressing the grievances of people, which arise out of the violation of laws, is unquestionably the responsibility of the judiciary.