Nearly twenty-one former judges have written to the Chief Justice of India (CJI) DY Chandrachud expressing their concerns over escalating attempts by certain factions in an effort to undermine the judiciary through calculated pressure, misinformation and public disparagement.
In the letter written to the CJI on Sunday, the retired judges said they were concerned about what they called tactics of misinformation and the orchestration of public sentiment against the judiciary, which is detrimental to democratic principles. The former judges alleged that the critics are motivated by narrow political interests and personal gains and are striving to erode public confidence in the judicial system.
The letter underlined that the practice of selectively praising judicial decisions that align with one’s views while vehemently criticising those that do not undermine the very essence of judicial review and the rule of law. Additionally, it also highlighted that these elements, motivated by narrow political interests and personal gains, are striving to erode the public’s confidence in our judicial system.
The former judges stated that the methods are manifold and insidious, with clear attempts to sway judicial processes by casting aspersions on the integrity of our courts and the judges. The retired judges include four from the Supreme Court Justices (retired) Deepak Verma, Krishna Murari, Dinesh Maheshwari and MR Shah.
They further alleged that such actions not only disrespected the sanctity of the judiciary, but also posed a direct challenge to the principles of fairness and impartiality that judges, as guardians of the law, have sworn to uphold.
The letter read that the strategy employed by these groups is deeply troubling, ranging from the propagation of baseless theories intended to malign the judiciary’s reputation to engaging in overt and covert effort to influence judicial outcomes to their favour.
It also claimed that such behaviour was pronounced in cases and causes of social, economic and political significance, including the cases involving certain individuals, where the lines between advocacy and manoeuvring are blurred to the detriment of judicial independence.
In the letter, the judges expressed that they are particularly concerned about the tactics of misinformation and the orchestration of public sentiment against the judiciary, which are not only unethical but also detrimental to the foundational principles of the democracy.
The judges called on the judiciary to take action against such pressures and ascertain that the sanctity and autonomy of the legal system are preserved. They further emphasized that it is imperative that the judiciary remains a pillar of democracy, immune to the whims and fancies of transient political interests.