Former judges support Katju, confirm his allegations as true

While the DMK and former Chief Justice of India (CJI) KG Balakrishnan opposed Justice Markandey Katju’s charges regarding the extenstion given to a corrupt judge, other judges have come out in Katju’s defence, claiming his allegations to be true.

A report  on The Times of India said that former Supreme Court judge Ruma Pal, who had been part of the three-member collegium that refused to extend the tenure of the corrupt judge, said Katju’s allegations were true. “I am aware of the incident. Whatever Justice Katju has said is true,” said Pal in the report.

Another former Supreme Court judge Asok Kumar Ganguly supported Katju’s claims and raised his concerns about the alleged political pressure prevalent during the appointment of the judge in the Madras High Court.

“I can’t place this additional judge because he got the appointment after I joined the Supreme Court in December 2008. However, it is a matter of great concern. It is quite worrisome for the independence of the judiciary if the Chief Justice of India had taken a decision under political influence,” said Ganguly in the report.

Yet another former judge from the Madras High Court, PK Misra, who is now the Goa Human Rights Commission chairman, confirmed Katju’s allegations.

“The collegium had recommended for confirming seven other additional judges (not six as indicated in the article). Then, the sordid saga as described in the article occurred and Justice RC Lahoti, without reverting to the collegium, on his own, recommended for extension of tenure of all the eight additional judges including the judge concerned,” said Misra, in another Times of India report .

Former Supreme Court judge Katju had created national furore when he had written in his blog about how an additional judge of the Madras High Court was given an extension thanks to political pressure, even though the judge in question was corrupt and there was an adverse IB report in his name.

Justice Katju said that while the then Chief Justice of India RC Lahoti had initially called for an inquiry on the judge, he later gave into political pressure from the UPA and extended the term of that judge.

(With inputs from PTI)