On 28th March, 600 prominent lawyers, including Harish Salve, Manan Kumar Mishra, Adish Agarwala, Chetan Mittal, Pinky Anand, Hitesh Jain, Ujjwala Pawar, Uday Holla, Swaroopama Chaturvedi and others wrote a letter to the Chief Justice of India. They expressed their concerns over attempts to undermine the integrity of the Judiciary in the country.
𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗹𝗮𝘄𝘆𝗲𝗿𝘀, 𝗶𝗻𝗰𝗹𝘂𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗻𝗼𝘁𝗮𝗯𝗹𝘆 𝘀𝗲𝗻𝗶𝗼𝗿 𝗮𝗱𝘃𝗼𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗛𝗮𝗿𝗶𝘀𝗵 𝗦𝗮𝗹𝘃𝗲, 𝗠𝗮𝗻𝗮𝗻 𝗸𝘂𝗺𝗮𝗿 𝗠𝗶𝘀𝗵𝗿𝗮, 𝗔𝗱𝗶𝘀𝗵 𝗮𝗴𝗮𝗿𝘄𝗮𝗹𝗮, 𝗖𝗵𝗲𝘁𝗮𝗻 𝗠𝗶𝘁𝘁𝗮𝗹, 𝗣𝗶𝗻𝗸𝘆 𝗔𝗻𝗮𝗻𝗱, 𝗛𝗶𝘁𝗲𝘀𝗵 𝗝𝗮𝗶𝗻, 𝗨𝗷𝗷𝘄𝗮𝗹𝗮… pic.twitter.com/EZHRLghmbd
— Kanchan Gupta (Hindu Bengali Refugee)🇮🇳 (@KanchanGupta) March 28, 2024
In the letter, they expressed their deepest concerns over the vested interest group attempting to pressure the Judiciary, influence the judiciary process and defame the courts based on stale political agendas and frivolous logic.
The letter further pointed out that the false narrative of a supposed “better past” and “golden period of the courts” is being created to show a “contrast” of what has been happening in the present. The letter read, “Their antics are vitiating the atmosphere of trust and harmony, which characterises the functioning of the Judiciary. Their pressure tactics are most obvious in political cases, particularly those involving political figures accused of corruption. These tactics are damaging to our courts and threaten our democratic fabric.”
The letter further added that intentional statements had been made to influence the court’s decisions and embarrass the court for political gains. It read, “It’s troubling to see some lawyers defend politicians by the day and then try to influence judges through the media at night.”
The letter also highlighted the theory of “bench fixing” created, raising concerns that it led to slanderous attacks and insinuations against the judges. It read, “There is a clear “My way or the highway” approach at work – any decision they agree with is hailed, but any decision they disagree with is trashed, smeared and disregarded. This cherry-picking has been visible in very recent judgments, too.”
The lawyers called for a closer scrutiny of this group’s actions. They suggested that the vested interest group act strategically and choose the timing when the nation is all set to poll for Lok Sabha elections. They further added that similar attempts were made duing 2019 General Elections.
The letter concluded, saying, “We request the Supreme Court to stand strong and take steps to protect our courts from these attacks. Staying silent or doing nothing could accidentally give more power to those who mean to harm. This is not the time to maintain a dignified silence, as such efforts have been happening for a few years and too frequently…Sir, in these tough times, your leadership is crucial. We trust you and all Hon’ble Judges to guide us through these issues and keep our courts strong.”
BJP reacted to the letter written by lawyers to CJI
Speaking on the letter written by 600 prominent lawyers, BJP leader and senior advocate of Supreme Court Gaurav Bhatia said, “Advocates related to opposition parties like Congress, AAP and others, the kind of pressure they put on Judiciary and the objectionable comments they make on Judges without any proof, is problematic. This letter depicts the public emotions.”
#WATCH | Delhi: As over 600 lawyers write to CJI over 'vested interest group' trying to defame courts, BJP leader and Senior Advocate of Supreme Court Gaurav Bhatia says, "…Advocates related to opposition parties like Congress, AAP and others, the kind of pressure they put on… pic.twitter.com/B5nC8VAAmq
— ANI (@ANI) March 28, 2024
He added, “I have witnessed that if the judgement comes in their favour, then they do ‘wah wah’ of the Judiciary and in against if the verdict is passed then they do ‘hai hai’ of the Judiciary and the judges become ‘dishonest.’…A leader like Rahul Gandhi says that one or two people running the Judiciary is highly unfortunate. Therefore, this letter is a positive initiative…”
