Jurists laud Kapadia, chaff predecessors
Chief Justice of India S H Kapadia known for his strict judicial discipline and sticking to the rule book, on Saturday came in for praise by several jurists for pursuing the “judicial activism” in the right earnest to make the executive enforce the rule of law in the wake the country witnessing a spate of scams virtually paralysing the governance.
At the same the jurists took pot-shots at two former CJIs K.G. Balakrishnan Y.K. Sabharwal for their alleged “indiscretions”. They were speaking at a seminar on Judicial Accountability Bill (JAB) pending before Parliament.
Former CJI J.S. Verma was particularly critical of Justice Balakrishnan, now heading the National Human Rights Commission, in the wake of serious allegations against his kith and kin about amassing assets disproportionate to their known sources of income.
Justice Verma questioned the continuation of Justice Balakrishnan as NHRC chairman on the face of such allegations. “See the somersault. (Justice) Sabharwal was not considered fit for NHRC chairmanship. Now (Justice) Balakrishnan is holding the post. The nature of allegations against (Justice) Sabharwal were much the same,” Justice Verma said.
“If judiciary crumbles, democracy is at perils,” Justice Verma said making it clear that the “fear of contempt of court for speaking the truth should no more be there.”
However, sharp division came to fore within the legal fraternity on the JAB with Fali Nariman and Prashant Bhushan opposing it in the present citing several shortcomings. Justice Verma supported the bill by suggesting some “effective” amendments.
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