Four retired judges of the Supreme Court and 17 former high court judges have written a joint letter to Chief Justice of India D Y Chandrachud bringing to his notice alleged “escalating attempts by certain factions to undermine the judiciary through calculated pressure, misinformation, and public disparagement” and sought his intervention to safeguard the judiciary.
This comes a fortnight after over 600 lawyers on March 28 expressed similar concern over “a vested interest group” trying to pressure judiciary on the basis of “frivolous logic and stale political agenda” in politically sensitive cases.
In their letter, the former judges including four retired SC judges -Deepak Verma, Krishna Murari, Dinesh Maheshwari and M R Shah - said, “It has come to our notice that these elements, motivated by narrow political interests and personal gains, are striving to erode the public’s confidence in our judicial system.”
“Their methods are manifold and insidious, with clear attempts to sway judicial processes by casting aspersions on the integrity of our courts and the judges. 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 have sworn to uphold,” the letter said. The signatories include former judges from Gujarat, Delhi, Rajasthan, Sikkim, Jharkhand, Mumbai, Allahabad, Uttarakhand, Punjab and Haryana, and Madhya Pradesh HCs.
The judges urged the judiciary to fortify against such pressures and ensure the sanctity and autonomy of legal system are preserved. “It is imperative that judiciary remains a pillar of democracy, immune to the whims and fancies of transient political interests,” they said.
