Google Search for Web:

Kajal Agrawal

Government received 122 ‘complaints’ against Supreme Court judges since 2018: RTI reply Featured

  28 अगस्त 2020

Replying to an RTI application filed by Lucknow based lawyer and activist Nutan Thakur, the Union ministry of law and justice admits having received 534 complaints against SC and HC judges.

Attorney General K.K. Venugopal reminded the Supreme Court this week that five judges of the Supreme Court itself had publicly stated that the Supreme Court had failed democracy in the country. “I have nine judges of the Supreme Court saying that there is corruption in the higher judiciary. Two of them made statements while they chaired…seven of them said so immediately after their retirement…,” he added.

But Justice Arun Mishra, due to retire at the end of August, made it clear that in his view it was the court, not democracy, which was threatened and public allegations against judges were undermining the confidence of the people in the judiciary. The bench headed by him, while hearing arguments on the contempt of court case against lawyer Prashant Bhushan that it had taken cognizance of, framed two questions for the court to decide in September.

One, when can public allegations of corruption be made against High Court and Supreme Court judges? And when such allegations are made, what ought to be the procedure adopted by the court. 

Even as the debate on ‘corruption’ in the higher judiciary and an allegedly dysfunctional Supreme Court rages, the Ministry of Law and Justice has acknowledged that a staggering number of 534 ‘complaints’ were received by it in just the last two and a half years against High Court and Supreme Court judges since 2018.

In response to an application filed under Right to Information (RTI) Act by Lucknow based advocate and activist Dr Nutan Thakur, the ministry claimed that it routinely forwarded such complaints to the Chief Justices concerned and has no information on the action taken or not taken on such complaints.

While 534 such complaints were received against the judges, it is not clear whether they were from aggrieved litigants and filed after adverse judgments or if they were from lawyers, politicians or from members of the civil society. Nor is it clear how many of such complaints relate to‘corruption’. Prashant Bhushan had argued before the Supreme Court that “Corruption in public life has a wide and expansive definition. Corruption is not restricted to pecuniary gratification alone but various instruments identify its particular forms such as bribery, embezzlement, theft, fraud, extortion, abuse of discretion, favouritism, nepotism, clientelism, conduct creating or exploiting conflicting interests…”

The RTI information reveals that 122 of these complaints were against Supreme Court judges. As many as 52 of them were sent online. Out of the 412 complaints against High Court judges, 164 were sent online. Online complaints leave a digital trail, are easier to track and are less likely to be frivolous. 

The ministry also disclosed that the complaints were ‘bulky’ and ran into several pages before hastening to add that it does not retain any of it. A Constitution Bench of the Supreme Court in 1992 had laid down the procedure to deal with allegations against a sitting judge. The judge had to be given a fair opportunity to be heard before an inquiry committee formed under the Judges Inquiry Act of 1968. The spirit of the 1992 judgment was to “preserve the right, interest and dignity of the judge, which is commensurate with the dignity of all the institutions and functionaries involved in the process”.

Experts have, however, faulted the Supreme Court for not doing enough to clean up not just the process by which judges are appointed but also on the administrative aspects. Justice Venkatramaiah, the 19th Chief Justice of India, had said on the eve of his retirement, “The judiciary has deteriorated in its standards because such judges are appointed as are willing to be ‘influenced by lavish parties and whisky bottles’.”Nor has the judiciary been able to stop the sons and sons-in-law of sitting judges from practicing in the same court or the same city

 
 

US more cautious on global commitments s…

05-11-2024

Sample Image

During an event in Canberra, India's External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar stated that the United States is anticipated to embrace a more inward-looking approach, regardless of who wins the upcoming...

Read more

Wine traders accuse Karnataka mantri of …

05-11-2024

Karnataka's Excise Minister RB Timmapur is facing accusations of demanding a ₹16 crore bribe from excise officials. The Karnataka Wine Merchants' Association alleges widespread bribery and money laundering within the...

Read more

Opposition MPs meet Birla, protest waqf …

05-11-2024

Sample Image

The Dawoodi Bohra community, in a deposition before a parliamentary committee, argued against being included under the purview of any waqf board, including the separate board proposed for Bohras and...

Read more

Seers back Akhara Parishad demand on 'no…

05-11-2024

Sample Image

Hindu saints in Prayagraj have voiced their support for the Akhil Bharatiya Akhara Parishad's proposal to ban non-Hindu vendors from the Maha Kumbh mela area. They argue that the...

Read more

Waqf Board claims ownership of Bidar For…

05-11-2024

Sample Image

The Waqf Board's claim on the historic Bidar Fort, a protected monument under ASI custody for over 70 years, has shocked officials. A 2005 notification listed the fort as...

Read more

Parliament set to take up waqf, ONOE bil…

05-11-2024

Sample Image

India's Parliament is gearing up for a potentially turbulent winter session, scheduled from November 25th to December 20th, with contentious bills like the Waqf (Amendment) Bill and a 'one nation...

Read more

Health groups join patent war over spina…

05-11-2024

Sample Image

Public health groups are challenging Roche's attempt to block a generic version of its expensive Spinal Muscular Atrophy drug, Risdiplam. They argue that Roche's patent infringement lawsuit against Natco Pharma...

Read more

Relief for 12L+ students as SC upholds v…

05-11-2024

Sample Image

The Supreme Court upheld the Uttar Pradesh Board of Madrasa Education Act, stating that minorities do not have an absolute right to administer educational institutions. While the state can regulate...

Read more

Government writes to Wikipedia over plai…

05-11-2024

Sample Image

The Indian government has raised concerns with Wikipedia regarding alleged bias and inaccuracies in its content. The government has questioned Wikipedia's intermediary status, suggesting it should be held accountable...

Read more

India's 10 most polluted cities in Octob…

05-11-2024

Sample Image

Delhi and its surrounding National Capital Region dominated India's most polluted cities in October, according to a CREA analysis. Despite pollution control measures, these cities experienced significantly higher PM2.5...

Read more

Vanishing stripes: 25 of 75 tigers missi…

05-11-2024

Sample Image

Twenty-five tigers have vanished from Rajasthan's Ranthambore National Park in the past year, prompting an official inquiry. The disappearances, a steep increase from previous years, have raised concerns about...

Read more

2 caught with body in bag at railway sta…

05-11-2024

Sample Image

A 43-year-old man from Nellore and his teenage daughter were apprehended at Minjur railway station for attempting to abandon a suitcase containing the body of a 65-year-old woman. The man...

Read more

3 labourers die at bullet train site as …

05-11-2024

Sample Image

Tragedy struck a Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet train construction site near Vadodara, Gujarat, as a temporary structure collapsed, claiming the lives of three laborers. The incident occurred when steel and concrete blocks...

Read more

3 cousins drown in Ganga while attending…

05-11-2024

Three cousins tragically drowned in the Ganga river during Chhath Puja celebrations in Bhagalpur, Bihar. The incident occurred as the children were bathing at Mohanpur Ghat as part of the...

Read more

Isro set to launch EU's Sun observatory …

05-11-2024

Sample Image

India and the European Union are strengthening their space collaboration with ISRO set to launch the EU's Proba-3 spacecraft in December. This mission, consisting of two satellites, will study the...

Read more

Interfaith couple kill selves in UP

05-11-2024

Sample Image

An interfaith couple in Bulandshahr, Uttar Pradesh, was found dead in their respective homes in a suspected case of suicide. The couple, who had known each other since childhood, faced...

Read more

Amit Shah joins NDA huddle to chalk out …

05-11-2024

Sample Image

NDA leaders convened at BJP headquarters to strategize for the ongoing assembly elections in Maharashtra and Jharkhand, as well as upcoming electoral challenges. The meeting aimed to unify the alliance's...

Read more

Doval, Nigerian NSA hold talks to boost …

05-11-2024

Sample Image

India and Nigeria strengthened their counter-terrorism cooperation during a dialogue in New Delhi. National Security Advisor Ajit Doval and his Nigerian counterpart Nuhu Ribadu discussed threats posed by terrorism...

Read more

Promptly counter fake news, top official…

05-11-2024

Sample Image

The Indian government is taking steps to combat the spread of fake news and misinformation on social media. The Cabinet Secretariat has directed all secretaries to promptly respond to such...

Read more

SC ruling on properties puts wealth dist…

05-11-2024

Sample Image

The Supreme Court ruled against extending the concept of 'material resources' to private assets, reigniting the debate on wealth redistribution sparked during the Lok Sabha elections. The Congress party had...

Read more

Headlines

Priyanka Gandhi

OMAR ABDULLAH:

YouTubeBox _A

NRI News:

Currency Rates

S5 Instagram Feed

YouTubeBox _K

World COVID-19

Poll:

Who will win 2024 General Election in India?