SC judges against CJI | Judge, AG say crisis in court will be resolved

Justice Kurian Joseph, one of the four senior Supreme Court judges who revolted against the country’s Chief Justice to “save the institution and democracy”, said on Saturday that they acted solely in the interest of judiciary and justice. 

“Stood up for justice and judiciary,” he said in Malayalam when local television news channels approached him at his ancestral home in Kalady near Kochi. “An issue has come to attention. It will certainly be solved,” he also told reporters.

His comments came on a day when Attorney General KK Venugopal said that the Supreme Court judges will be united by Monday. “By Monday morning, litigants and lawyers will see unity among Supreme Court judges. We hope the entire issue will be settled in the larger interest of the institution,” India’s top law officer told a TV channel.

He also praised the judges for their wisdom, statesmanship and experience.

And he hoped they will not allow the issue to escalate. Misra may meet the four judges on Sunday. 

“... the administration of the Supreme Court is not in order and many things less than desirable have happened in the last few months,” Justice Jasti Chelameswar had said on Friday, while holding an unprecedented press conference with Justices Ranjan Gogoi, Madan B Lokur and Kurian Joseph at his residence in Delhi. 

On Saturday, Justice Joseph rejected suggestions that they had violated discipline and expressed the hope that their actions will bring in more transparency in the administration of the Supreme Court. He said the judges had acted only to “enhance the trust of the people in judiciary.”

“... 20 years later, we don’t want the nation to blame us and tell us we didn’t take care. We are discharging a debt to the nation by telling you what’s happening,” the judges had said on Friday. They lashed out against CJI Misra over various issues, including allocation of cases of national importance to “preferred” benches.  

The four judges — ranked second to fifth in order of seniority — had said they were “left with no choice but to communicate with the nation,” since all efforts at trying to convince CJI Misra on various issues had failed. 

Venugopal had said on Friday that the press conference by the four judges could have been avoided and hoped that they will fully resolve their differences within a few days.

The judges would now have to act in ‘statesmanship’ to ensure complete harmony, he had said. Declining to speak to the media about his interaction with CJI Misra, Venugopal had said, “This is what all of us at the bar want and I am sure that the judges, including the CJI, will rise to the occasion.”