The judiciary has been the one sturdy dyke that has saved us from the excesses of rulers. But recent events remind us of the cracks that have formed: the quality of individuals apart, even the institutional arrangements that had been put in place to preserve the purity and independence of the institution the collegium, conventions governing the way cases are to be assigned among judges have frayed. These cracks provide a dangerous opportunity to political rulers to suborn this institution also. Through actual cases and judgments of subordinate courts, High Courts, the Supreme Court Arun Shourie enables us to see how frail and vulnerable this last pillar standing has become.