Chief Justice of India R M Lodha criticised the Modi government for set aside former Solicitor General Gopal Subramanium’s name for appointment as Supreme Court judges.
Speaking for the first time in the issue, the CJI said, “I fail to understand how the appointment to a high constitutional post has been dealt with in a casual manner.The first thing I have taken objection to (is) that the segregation of Subramanium’s proposal from other three proposals unilaterally by the executive without my knowledge and concurrence was not proper.”
The Law Ministry has cleared the names of Chief Justices of Calcutta and Orissa High Courts, Arun Mishra and Adarsh Kumar Goyal along with senior lawyer Rohinton Nariman but dropped former Solicitor General’s name.
Gopal Subramanium withdrew his candidature and accused the government of playing a “dirt-digging exercise.”
“I am fully conscious that my independence as a lawyer is causing apprehensions that I will not toe the government line. This factor has been decisive in refusing to appoint me,” Gopal Subramaniam wrote a letter to Cheif Justice of India.
It has been speculated that government is not comfortable of Subramanium’s candidature as he had instigated a murder case against top BJP leader and former Gujarat home minister Amit Shah.
“The independence of the judiciary can’t be allowed to be compromised. If I knew that the independence of the judiciary had been compromised, I will not hold my office even for a second,” Justice Lodha said.
“On June 28, Gopal met me and I requested him to withdraw his letter withdrawing his consent. But a day later, he responded by reiterating his stand. In view of this, I felt there is no point in pursuing this matter,” the Chief Justice added.
Meanwhile Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad refused to comment on the CJI’s statements. The government maintained its earlier position of having “highest regard for the Chief Justice.”
Tags: CJI Gopal Subramanium Modi government R M Lodha
