Justice Sikri on Sunday withdrew his consent to the government offer to nominate him for president/member of the CSAT.
Amid controversy over Supreme Court judge Justice AK Sikri accepting a government offer for a post-retirement assignment, former Supreme Court Judge Markandey Katju came in his defence and criticised the media for "attacking an outstanding, totally upright, extremely competent and hard working judge."
A row erupted on Sunday, just three days after Justice Sikri's vote helped decide the removal of Alok Verma from the post of CBI director after media reports said that the Supreme Court judge had received a government offer last year for a post-retirement assignment at the London-based Commonwealth Secretariat Arbitral Tribunal. Justice Sikri was part of the three-member panel along with the prime minister and senior Congress leader Mallikajurn Kharge which on Thursday decided on the removal of Verma from the post of CBI Director.
Apparently stung by the controversy, sources said Justice Sikri, the second senior-most judge in the apex court after Chief Justice of India (CJI) Ranjan Gogoi, withdrew his consent to the government offer to nominate him for president/member of the Commonwealth Secretariat Arbitral Tribunal (CSAT). Sikri is due to retire on March 6.
Story so far: Alok Verma ousted as CBI chief: Justice Sikri withdraws consent to govt for post-retirement job
In a Facebook post on Monday, Retired Justice Katju wrote, "Here is an outstanding, totally upright, extremely competent and hard working judge, for which I can personally vouch as I was his Chief Justice in the Delhi High Court when he was a puisne judge in that Court, and I knew him intimately. Yet our mostly rotten and shameless media has sought to tarnish him in mud and ruin his reputation (sic)."
Katju said that as the Chief Justice of Delhi High Court, he had seen Sikri work and never heard any complaint against him.
"As Chief Justice of Delhi High Court I had not only to do judicial work but also a lot of administrative work, and so after finishing my judicial work at 4 pm I had to usually remain in the Court till about 8 pm, doing administrative work. On finishing that I would often enquire if any other judge was still in his chamber. Invariably, I was told that Justice Sikri was still there preparing his judgments, which he would do meticulously. I would go to his chamber and ask him to go home and not over strain and damage his health(sic)," he wrote.
"His reputation and integrity was impeccable. I never heard any complaint against him. And yet this is the man whom much of our media attacked yesterday, like hounds baying for his blood," he said.
He said that the news portal which broke the story of Justice Sikri's appointment to CSAT did not tell the whole truth.
Katju said that CSAT members are not based permanently in England and no regular salary is paid to its members so calling it a 'plum posting' is a "complete distortion and fake news."
"... to link up the decision of the Committee to remove Verma from the CBI with Justice Sikri's consent given a month earlier to be on the CSAT is absurd," he said.
He also asked the media to apologise to Justice Sikri who withdrew his consent to be on the CSAT.
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
 "File Photo:")
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
)
)
)
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}