Narendra Modi govt's refusal to clear Justice KM Joseph's elevation to Supreme Court is 'revenge politics', alleges Congress

New Delhi: 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, KM Joseph, to the Supreme Court. 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. [caption id=“attachment_4342215” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] File image of Justice KM Joseph. News18[/caption] “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 the elevation of Justice Joseph on hold. “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.