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21 retired judges write to Chief Justice DY Chandrachud against attempts to ‘undermine’ judiciary
In their letter, the retired judges pressed on the escalating attempts by "certain factions to undermine the judiciary through calculated pressure".
A group of 21 retired judges have written to Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud urging him to take action against the attempts to “undermine the judiciary". This comes days after hundreds of prominent lawyers across the country wrote a similar letter to the CJI, sparking a political row.
In their letter, the retired judges pressed on the escalating attempts by "certain factions to undermine the judiciary through calculated pressure, misinformation, and public disparagement". They also alleged that the critics of the judiciary are motivated by narrow political motives and personal interests.
Though the retired judges, including four from the apex court, did not specify the incidents which prompted them to write to the CJI, their letter came amid a war of words between the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party and opposition parties over the actions against some opposition leaders in corruption cases.
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The retired judges who signed the letter, including Deepak Verma, Krishna Murari, Dinesh Maheshwari and MR Shah, accused the critics of having insidious methods to sway the judiciary by casting aspersions on the integrity of courts and the judges.
The letter titled, ‘need to safeguard judiciary from unwarranted pressure’, reads, “Such actions not only disrespect the sanctity of our judiciary but also pose a direct challenge to the principles of fairness and impartiality that judges, as guardians of the law, have sworn to uphold.”
The retired judges further accused these groups of having “propaganda of baseless theories” which have the intent to malign the reputation of the judiciary, and influence the judicial outcomes in their favour.
“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 letter further states.
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"The practice of selectively praising judicial decisions that align with one's views while vehemently criticising those that do not, undermines the very essence of judicial review and the rule of law," they said.
The letter concluded by urging the judiciary led by the Supreme Court to uphold the sanctity of the legal system by fortifying against these pressures.
(With inputs from PTI)
