New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched slammed Congress on Thursday after hundreds of lawyers wrote to the Chief Justice of India (CJI) DY Chandrachud expressing concerns over attempts by a “vested interest group” to influence the judiciary.
“To browbeat and bully others is vintage Congress culture. Five decades ago, they itself had called for a ‘committed judiciary’ – they shamelessly want commitment from others for their selfish interests, but desist from any commitment towards the nation. No wonder, 140 crore Indians are rejecting them,” PM Modi stated said in a post on X, attaching a copy of the lawyers’ letter.
To browbeat and bully others is vintage Congress culture.
5 decades ago itself they had called for a “committed judiciary” – they shamelessly want commitment from others for their selfish interests but desist from any commitment towards the nation.
No wonder 140 crore Indians… https://t.co/dgLjuYONHH
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) March 28, 2024
More than 600 lawyers, including senior advocates Harish Salve and Pinky Anand, and some bar associations claimed that the group was employing pressure tactics to influence judicial outcomes, especially in cases involving political leaders and corruption charges.
“These actions pose a significant threat to the democratic fabric and the trust placed in judicial processes,” the lawyers wrote under the subject head ‘Threat to judiciary’.
Claiming that the “interest group” was propagating false narratives about a “golden era” of the judiciary to discredit current proceedings and undermine public confidence in courts, the lawyers said that tactics employed by the group include selective criticism or praise of court decisions based on their political agenda.
“It’s troubling to see some lawyers defend politicians by the day, and then try to influence judges through the media at night,” the letter to the CJI said.
Highlighting about the group peddling a theory of ‘bench fixing’, the lawyers wrote: “It is strange to see politicians accuse someone of corruption and then defend them in court. If the court’s decision doesn’t go their way, they quickly criticise the courts inside the court as well as through the media.”
“These efforts to belittle and manipulate the courts for personal and political reasons cannot be allowed under any circumstances. We request the Supreme Court to stand strong and take steps to protect our courts from these attacks,” the protesting lawyer urged CJI Chandrachud.
