Congress Flags Judicial Independence Concerns After Kaul Memoir
The memoir documented issues that many had previously been reluctant to discuss openly: Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh
NEW DELHI: The Congress on Sunday cited former Supreme Court judge Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul's forthcoming memoir to raise concerns over judicial independence under the Modi government, alleging interference in appointments and court proceedings.
Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh shared a media report quoting the pre-publication manuscript of Justice Kaul's memoir, Without Fear or Favour, which described former Chief Justice of India Justice D.Y. Chandrachud as "too deferential to the Government" in matters concerning judicial appointments.
In a Hindi post on X, Ramesh said the memoir raised serious questions about the independence of the judiciary during the Modi government's tenure.
He referred to passages concerning alleged government interference in judicial appointments, attempts to seek the executive's approval before Collegium meetings and questions raised by the government about the caste of a judicial candidate belonging to a minority community.
Ramesh said the memoir documented issues that many had previously been reluctant to discuss openly.
Referring to Justice Chandrachud's acknowledgment that consultations between the government and the Chief Justice took place before judicial appointments, the Congress leader said such interactions raised concerns about judicial independence.
Ramesh also highlighted Justice Kaul's account of a Prevention of Money Laundering Act case.
According to the account, a matter was reassigned to another bench after the bench headed by Justice Kaul raised the possibility of reconsidering aspects of an earlier ruling.
Ramesh alleged that the reassignment, which reportedly took place without consulting Justice Kaul, pointed to government interference in the Supreme Court's functioning.
He asserted that the judiciary must remain independent of pressure from those in power.
