The Supreme Court will hear on Tuesday, a public interest litigation seeking a Court-monitored probe by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) into the honey trap scandal of Karnataka involving a senior Minister and 48 other persons, including judges, legislators, and politicians.
The plea was mentioned before Chief Justice of India Sanjiv Khanna today, who directed to list it for hearing tomorrow.
The allegations of honey trap were raised by Congress Minister for Cooperation KN Rajanna in the State Assembly on March 20.
Rajanna had alleged that a honey trapping attempt was made against him by a gang, which also targeted 47 other persons, cutting across party lines, and judges.
The incident caused a huge uproar and protests in the State Assembly, leading to the suspension of 18 BJP MLAs.
Filed by Jharkhand-based lawyer, Advocate Binay Kumar Singh, the PIL contended that judges getting compromised through means such as honey trapping, posed a serious threat to judicial independence and gravely undermined public confidence in the institution.
Noting that an independent judiciary was the cornerstone of any democracy, Advocate Singh contended that judges were expected to uphold the law without fear, favour, or external influence.
In case the allegations of judges being honey-trapped held any iota of truth, it raised alarming concerns about the erosion of judicial independence, which, in turn, threatened the very fabric of democracy, noted the plea.
The petitioner contended that if judges fell prey to such schemes, their ability to render impartial verdicts would be severely compromised and they may be coerced into delivering judgments favoring their blackmailers, rather than adhering to legal principles and justice.
The petition said that a judiciary tainted by external influence ceased to maintain a check on the executive and legislative overreach. If judges were susceptible to blackmail, the courts may no longer serve as the bulwark against corruption, authoritarianism, or corporate greed.