Not elevating KM Joseph to SC exposes PM Modi’s revenge politics: Congress

The remarks came amid reports that the government had cleared the name of Indu Malhotra as Supreme Court judge, while putting on hold the elevation of Justice KM Joseph.

The Congress on Thursday accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of indulging in “revenge politics” by “refusing” to clear the elevation of the country’s most senior chief justice, K M Joseph, to the Supreme Court.

Justice KM Joseph, who heads the Uttarakhand High Court, is India’s most senior chief justice.(PTI File Photo)

The judiciary is under the “most vicious attack ever” and totalitarianism will stump democracy if the nation does not rise now, Congress communications in-charge Randeep Surjewala alleged.

“PM Modi’s ‘revenge politics’ qua judiciary and ‘conspiratorial suffocation’ of Supreme Court exposed again,” Surjewala said on Twitter, adding that Justice Joseph, who heads the Uttarakhand High Court, is India’s most senior chief justice.

“Yet Modi Government refuses to clear his elevation to SC as retribution for quashing presidential rule in Uttarakhand?” he said.

His remarks came amid reports that the government has cleared the name of Indu Malhotra as Supreme Court judge, while putting on hold the elevation of Justice Joseph .

“Modiji shredded Parliamentary privileges and supremacy. He road-rolled independent media. Democracy’s last refuge i.e Judiciary is now under most vicious attack ever. If the Nation doesn’t rise in unison now, totalitarianism will stump democracy,” Surjewala tweeted.

He accused the Modi government of being a habitual offender of trashing “judicial integrity” and the “constitutional supremacy” of institutions.

In June 2014, it refused to clear noted jurist Gopal Subramaniam’s name for elevation to the Supreme Court as he was a lawyer against “Amit Shah and Co”, the Congress leader said.