Disturbance was seen in the Parliament today over an article by Justice Markandey Katju, published in today’s Times of India. Justice Katju came out with an expose of events happened a decade ago. According to the article, when Justice Katju was appointed as the Chief Justice of Madras High Court in the year 2004, he came to know about an Additional Judge who was indulging himself into corruption.
Justice Katju writes that during his career as District Judge there were as many as 8 adverse entries against him recorded by various portfolio Judges of the Madras High Court. Having learnt this, Justice Katju requested the then Chief Justice of India, Justice R C Lahoti to get a secret IB inquiry done against this additional judge. “A few weeks thereafter, while I was in Chennai, I received a call from the Secretary of the CJI saying that the CJI wanted to talk to me. Justice Lahoti then came on the line and said that what I had complained about had been found true. Evidently the IB had found enough material about the Judge’s corruption,” writes Justice Katju.
But then the term for an additional judge is of two years and Justice Katju thought that since his tenure is coming to an end, he would be discontinued as a judge. But soon, he was taken aback when the judge got another years appointment as an additional judge.
Justice Katju then writes that he later learnt how all this was happening. After General elections of 2004, the UPA government had come into power. But this, the then newly elected government was standing with support from its allies. “One of such ally was the party in Tamilnadu which was backing this corrupt Judge. On coming to know of the recommendation of the 3 Judge Supreme Court Collegium they strongly objected to it,” writes Justice Katju.
At this juncture Spectralhues would like to inform its readers that neither the name of the additional judge nor the name of the ally party has been mentioned by Justice Katju in his article.
Further on he has written about how things went and dealt. Concluding this article he writes, “I have related all this to show how the system actually works, whatever it is in theory. In fact in view of the adverse IB report the Judge should not even have been continued as an Additional Judge.”
The biggest question that is being raised now is why Justice Katju came up 
with this revelation at this time and that too after 10 long years.
Although Justice Katju appeared on several news channels explaining about the incident and about his article, but the main question remains on the timing of the article.
Meanwhile, parliament went upheaval with AIADMK politicians raising this issue in the Rajya Sabha. Today’s edition of The Times of India that contains the article was shown to the speaker. Eventually, the speaker adjourned the parliament till 12:00 hours due to the disruption caused there.
The Hindu quoted Finance Minister Arun Jaitley as saying, “I concede to Justice Katju the right to hold his political views, but can the occupant of a job whose functioning is quasi-judicial openly participate in political activity. His appeal is political. He appears to be more Congress than the Congress party.”
The AIADMK leaders, in the Lok Sabha have sought an inquiry into this matter. BSP supremo Mayawati too sought an inquiry.
Justice Katju has been the judge of the Supreme Court of India and is currently the Chairman of Press Council Of India.
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