New Delhi: Former Judge of Supreme Court Markandey Katju had throws six questions toward Justice RC Lahoti and decided to take the issue of political interference in judicial appointments.
In a blog post, Katju had claimed that three ex-Chief Justices of India had compromised in giving extension and elevation to an additional judge of Madras High Court under pressure from the UPA government.
Justices R C Lahoti, Y K Sabharwal and K G Balakrishnan had made “improper compromises” and “succumbed” to political pressure in allowing the judge to continue in office, said Katju.
Meanwhile Justice Lahoti had given his clarification over Katju’s charges and said, “Everything is a matter of record. Whatever I have done or not done is all on record with reasons. I have never done anything wrong in my life.”
Katju had denied of the clarification and posted question to Justice Lahoti. These questions are:
1. “Is it , or is it not, correct that I first wrote him a letter from Chennai, stating that there were serious allegations of corruption about an Additional Judge of Madras High Court, and therefore he ( Justice Lahoti ) should get a secret intelligence enquiry held against that Additional Judge,and thereafter I personally met Justice Lahoti at Delhi and again requested for a secret IB enquiry against the Additional Judge about whom I had received several complaints, and from several sources, that he was indulging in corruption?”
2. “Is it not correct that on my request Justice Lahoti ordered a secret IB enquiry against that Judge?”
3. “Is it, or is it not correct that a few weeks after I personally met him in Delhi and then returned to Chennai, he telephoned me from Delhi (while I was at Chennai) and told me that the IB, after thorough enquiry, gave a report that indeed the Judge was indulging in corruption?”
4. “After receiving the adverse IB report against the Additional Judge, Justice Lahoti, who was then Chief Justice of India, called a meeting of the three Judge Supreme Court Collegium, consisting of himself, Justice Sabarwal, and Justice Ruma Pal, and the three Judge Collegium, having perused the IB report recommended to the Government of India not to extend the two year term of that Additional Judge?”
5. “After that recommendation of the three Judge Collegium of the Supreme Court was sent to the Government of India, he (Justice Lahoti), on his own, without consulting his two other Supreme Court Collegium colleagues, wrote a letter to the Government of India asking the Government to give another 1 year term as Additional Judge to the concerned Judge?”
6. “If indeed the IB reported, after an enquiry, that the Judge was indulging in corruption, why did he (Justice Lahoti) recommend to the Government of India to give that corrupt Judge another term of one year as Additional Judge in the High Court ?”
Katju said, “Some people have commented about the timing of my statement. What happened was that some Tamilians had commented on Facebook that I am posting several matters on my Facebook post, so I should also post some of my experiences in Madras High Court. Then I started posting about my experiences there, and it was at time I remembered this experience too, and posted it.”
Meanwhile Former Law Minister HK Bhardwaj had nodded with Justice Katju and said, “The procedure was followed strictly. In the first hand, CJI had agreed with Justice Katju’s recommendation that the judge should not be made a permanent judge. But on the representation of DMK, and about 18 members of parliament of scheduled caste and backward class, this case was referred back to CJI, who agreed to extend his tenure pending inquiry. There was no favour, CJI of Madras did not favour him that is why he was not made permanent. In the inquiry it was found that he was close to political parties, later on he was transferred out.”
He also claimed, “The DMK was an important ally (of UPA) and their MPs came to see me in my office saying the Madras HC judge was being discriminated against. The MPs were also agitated as they felt that a scheduled caste judge was being singled out by Justice Markandey Katju.”
Bureau Report
Leave a Reply