Former SC judge Markandey Katju alleges 3 former CJIs made 'improper compromises'
New Delhi: Former Supreme Court judge Markandey Katju, currently Chairman of Press Council of India on Monday stirred a controversy by alleging that three ex-Chief Justices of India had compromised in giving extension to an additional judge of Madras High court at the instance of UPA government in the wake of pressure from one of its allies, apparently DMK.
Katju made the charge while alleging how the three former CJIs--Justices R C Lahoti, Y K Sabharwal and K G Balakrishnan--had made "imroper compromises" in allowing the judge, against whom there were several allegations of corruption, to continue in office.
"These three former CJIs made improper compromises. Justice Lahoti who started it, then Justice Sabharwal and then Justice Balakrishnan. These are CJIs who can surrender. Is a CJI going to surrender to political pressure or not going to surrender to political pressure?" Katju, who became the Chief Justice of Madras High Court in November 2004, told a news channel.
Requested Justice Lahoti for a secret IB investigation against the addtnl judge, the report corroborated my knowledge: Markandey Katju
— ANI (@ANI_news) July 21, 2014He claimed that the IB report found the allegations to be true and he should have been sacked.
Katju said since the two-year term as additional judge of that person was coming to an end he presumed he would be discontinued as judge.
"But to my utter shock I came to know he was been given another extension when an adverse IB report was there," he said.
Katju said he came to know that the reason for all this was that at that time the UPA-I government was dependent on allies and one of them was a Tamil Nadu party, an apparent reference to DMK, whose leader was given bail by the additional judge concerned.
I think what Markandey Katju said has a lot of truth in it, Chief Justice should look into it. Better late than never: Sharad Yadav
— ANI (@ANI_news) July 21, 2014
Whatever he has said is true but I hope he would have spoken at the right time: Ram Jethmalani on Markandey Katju pic.twitter.com/R9Cdq3MfX9
— ANI (@ANI_news) July 21, 2014
Such issues can not be talked about in the Parliament: Shashi Tharoor on Markandey Katju pic.twitter.com/w2M6s2O8nx
— ANI (@ANI_news) July 21, 2014But Congress never interferes in the judiciary: BS Gnanadesikan (TN Cong Prez) on issue raised by Markandey Katju pic.twitter.com/fboRSpEWPZ
— ANI (@ANI_news) July 21, 2014
