“Which country in the world is more secure and minority-friendly than India?” Vice-Chairperson of the National Commission for Minorities Shri George Kurian asks Justice Kurian Joseph who alleged ‘minority tag is a hindrance to career progression’ in India
The Vice-Chairperson of the National Commission for Minorities, on November 5, flayed the statement of the former judge of the Supreme Court, Justice Kurian Joseph, that the “minority tag is a hindrance to career progression”, alleging that Justice Kurian Joseph is instilling the feeling of hatred and fear among the Minorities. The National Minority Commission Vice-Chairman, Shri George Kurian said, “If somebody feels that he (Justice Kurian Joseph) is communal, they cannot be blamed.”
“He stated that the ‘minority tag’ has hindered his career. After serving as the Judge of a High Court, Chief Justice of various High Courts and a Judge in the Supreme Court for 18 years, he is trying to mislead the people of India. He wanted the people from the minority communities to think that if the fate of a Supreme Court Judge is like this, what will be the fate of the common people?,” said Shri George Kurian.
In the statement, Gorge Kurian alleged that when people irrespective of religions respect Justice Joseph, he gives back the community the feeling of fear and hatred. “While referring to his decision to revolt against his former colleague, once equal and later first among equals, he stated that he felt “something went wrong”. Even after his retirement as a Supreme Court Judge, he did not give any proof or evidence for his assumption,” Shri George said, referring to Justice Kurian’s blatant allegations against a former Chief Justice.
“For the common man, the post of Judge of Supreme Court is one of the highest position in the Indian system. He did not maintain the dignity of the position he held while speaking to the media. He wanted to show the world that minorities are not recognised in India,” he added.
“I request him to tell us which country in the world is more secure and minority-friendly than India. Whether our neighbours like China, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Myanmar and Sri Lanka are better than India? Western countries like America where the President himself says that he hates people from a particular religion and do not allow the people from six countries belonging to that religion even to visit America or in England where a Church is run officially and the Bishops and other clergies of that church are appointed only by the Queen. So, he should explain whether the members of the minority communities are suppressed in India. As a responsible citizen of India, he should explain to the nation about it,” the Minority Commission Vice-Chairman challenged Justice Kurian.
He says that if he was selected as a Supreme Court Judge in 2012, he would have become Chief Justice of Supreme Court of India. He would have succeeded Justice Deepak Mishra as Chief Justice of India. He cleverly misled the people that in 2012, a member of the Christian community became Justice of Supreme Court from another State but his name does not reflect as such. Justice Joseph wanted to avoid that Christian member to become Justice of Supreme Court. That means he wanted to hinder the career of another Christian. It clearly shows that he is selfish and his malicious intention is exposed here as he is seeking to accomplish his own personal professional interests more than the general interest of the community. As a Judge of the Supreme Court, he puts “ifs” and “buts” for fulfilling his personal ambitions which unbecoming of a senior Judge.
“After retirement, one of his statements is that the Court should not interfere in religious matters. Every media interpreted this to be regarding the Sabarimala Judgement. A few days later, he told the media that he did not mean it. Always he is telling the world that he is expressing his concern about religious faiths and minority rights,” Shri George Kurian said.
“Justice Kurian Joseph is pretending as the messiah of minority rights and freedom. He was a member of the Collegium for more than one year. Can he reveal that whether he was instrumental in selecting so many members of the minority community as Supreme Court Judges especially from the Muslim community? He may also explain as to why there is only one Judge in the Supreme Court from the Muslim community. What was the hindrance to the career of other eligible judges from the Muslim community in the judicial system of India becoming Judges of the Supreme Court?,” he added.
