Karunanidhi slams Justice Katju; Manmohan under pressure

DMK chief Karunanidhi has slammed Justice Katju over his allegations that DMK has forced Manmohan Singh government to allow a corrupt judge to continue in the Madras High Court despite serious corruption charges against him.

Denying the charges, Karunanidhi said, “Katju’s remark is an insult to the judiciary. Why was Katju silent for 10 years when the UPA was in power? Katju has fallen from the stature of a judge by making such comments.”

The DMK has been rejecting Katju’s claims by saying his allegations are false. Already the party has said to be considering tofile defamation cases against Katju.

DMK is also angry with former law minister HR Bhardwaj for saying that DMK MPs did try to influence a particular judge’s appointment.

Meanwhile, former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has lot to explain now as the new expose showed that PMO indeed put pressure on the collegium led by then Chief Justice of India R C Lahoti in June 2005 to make permanent post to a “corrupt” Madras high court additional judge.

In a letter from PMO to Law Minister, the PMO sought clarifications as to why the delay was happening in recommending justice’s name for permanent post.

Reacting to the development, Manmohan Singh on Tuesday said, “The then law minister has spoken – said what he had to – I have nothing to add.”

On Tuesday, Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad confirmed Katju’s claim in the Rajya Sabha that Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s office pushed for an extension of a corrupt judge.

Former Chief Justice of India RC Lahoti denied Katju’s allegations of succumbing to political pressure.

“Everything is a matter of record. I have never done anything wrong in my life,” Justice Lahoti said.

Some of the questions raised by Justice Katju were whether or not Justice Lahoti had confirmed that an IB report had indeed found the Judge indulging in corruption and whether a 3-judge Supreme Court Collegium had given a recommendation to the government not to extend the 2-year term of that Additional Judge.

Sources said that Narendra Modi government will now push judicial reforms and constitute national judiciary commission.

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