Over 20 retired judges from the Supreme Court and High Courts have written to the Chief Justice of India D.Y. Chandrachud conveying their “shared concern” about the escalating attempts to undermine the judiciary through “tactics of misinformation” and public disparagement.
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The letter follows a recent missive by 600 lawyers voicing the same concerns about a “particular vested interest group” pressurising the judiciary, influencing judicial process, and defaming the courts on the basis of frivolous logic and stale political agendas.
“This behaviour, we observe, is particularly pronounced in the cases and causes of social, economic and political significance, including the cases involving certain individuals, wherein the lines between advocacy and manoeuvring are blurred to the detriment of judicial independence,” the retired judges said, drawing their insight from their years on the Bench.
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The former judges, including retired Supreme Court judges Justices Deepak Verma, Dinesh Maheshwari, Krishna Murari, and M.R. Shah, assured that they stand in solidarity with the judiciary.
The retired judges urged the Supreme Court to fortify itself against the workings of factions motivated by narrow political interests and personal gains “to erode the public’s confidence in our judicial system”.
They said these factions “selectively praise judicial decisions that align with one’s views while vehemently criticising those that do not”.
“Their methods are manifold and insidious, with clear attempts to sway judicial processes by casting aspersions on the integrity of our courts and the judges… The strategy employed by these groups is deeply troubling — ranging from the propagation of baseless theories intended to malign the judiciary’s reputation to engaging in overt and covert attempts to influence judicial outcomes to their favour,” the letter said.