Kapadia declines comment on Katju’s HC judge exposé

Former Chief Justice of India, Justice SH Kapadia on Monday declined to comment on Justice Markanday Katju’s claim that he ignored the latter’s complaint of corruption against a judge of the Allahbad high court.

Former Chief Justice of India, Justice SH Kapadia on Monday declined to comment on Justice Markanday Katju’s claim that he ignored the latter’s complaint of corruption against a judge of the Allahbad high court.

Speaking to HT, justice Kapadia said he cannot recall anything about the judge concerned until justice Katju revealed the name. He further said as the CJI, he had taken maximum action against corrupt judges. “More than any other CJI,” he added.

Countering justice Kapadia’s claim that no ‘unfit judge’ has ever reached the Supreme Court on his watch, Katju said, “The Supreme Court collegium, of which justice Kapadia was a member, almost succeeded in bringing a totally unfit person to the Supreme Court. That judge was a judge of the Madras high court when I was chief justice there, so I knew all about his bad reputation. Later, he was made chief justice of another high court, and was being considered for elevation to the Supreme Court.”