Stray groups with hidden political agendas, claiming to be the sole custodians of Constitution and Democracy, cannot be allowed to denigrate the democratic institutions, in particular the Supreme Court of India, say the signatories. “We unequivocally oppose such pseudo activism hidden in the garb of the Civil Society”, say concerned dignitaries.
In a letter addressed to the Chief Justice of India, a group of 105 former judges, retired bureaucrats, military veterans and intellectuals have expressed concern over the statements and comments made by certain vested interests in the country against the judgment of the Supreme Court in the contempt of court case against lawyer Prashant Bhushan.
The letter to the CJI notes that in response to the judgment of the Supreme Court, multiple negatively oriented articles have been published, alleging that the Supreme Court is muzzling criticism of the process of justice delivery system in a democratic country. The statement issued by ‘Campaign for Judicial Accountability and Reforms’ (CJAR), condemning the judgment and further calling upon the Supreme Court, and every Judge, to reconsider their decision has been highlighted in the letter.
“We, the concerned citizens of the country, are deeply concerned by such statements by a group of persons who wrongly claim themselves to solely represent the civil society, and use every opportunity to strike at the roots of Indian democratic institutions such as the Parliament, Election Commission of India, and now, the Supreme Court of India”, say the signatories.
The letter categorically states that “Stray groups with hidden political agendas, claiming to be the sole custodians of Constitution and Democracy, cannot be allowed to denigrate the democratic institutions, in particular the Supreme Court of India”
The letter states that this is not the first time that Mr. Prashant Bhushan has objectionably criticized the Courts without any basis or evidence. This is also not the first occasion when he has made utterances which were inflammatory in nature. CJAR, counts, amongst its committee, Shri Prashant Bhushan himself, apart from a few others such as Ms. Arundhati Roy etc, which shows that they are working on an agenda to plead their own cause extra-judicially. For a Senior Advocate of the Supreme Court, contempt of the Court is something which cannot be justified by any pressure group. The legal profession is a solemn and serious occupation, with Constitutional, professional and ethical obligations. Any violation of the principles of professional ethics by an advocate is unfortunate and unacceptable, says the letter.
The letter by 105 dignitaries from various fields addressed to the CJI
The statements issued by CJAR and a few other pressure groups condemning the judgment of the Hon’ble Supreme Court and criticising the process of judgment delivery is highly objectionable and unacceptable. We, the concerned citizens, unequivocally oppose such pseudo activism hidden in the garb of the Civil Society, concludes the letter to the CJI.
The letter has been signed by 15 former Judges, 48 retired Bureaucrats, 20 Armed forces veterans and 22 Intellectuals. Former Vice Chancellors, Jnan Pith Awardees, Padmashri Awardees, Former Ambassadors, former DGPs, Former Chief Justices and former Chief Secretaries are among the signatories.
