Chief Justice of India R.M. Lodha on Tuesday said he was shocked and disappointed to know that Gopal Subramanium had made public the letter he wrote to the CJI on June 25, withdrawing his consent to be appointed as a Supreme Court judge.
Narrating the sequence of events, Justice Lodha said he had spoken to Mr. Subramanium on June 24 from Russia and told him that he would take the matter forward on his return to India on June 28. However, he was disappointed to know that Mr. Subramanium had released his >letter to the media before his return.
“The judiciary cannot react to media reports,” said the CJI.
On his return, he also saw the file from the government, returning the proposal of Mr. Subramanium for reconsideration. “I called Mr. Subramanium to my residence and had a talk with him for 75 minutes. I requested him to withdraw his letter so that I could take up the matter with the other collegium judges for reconsideration. Mr. Subramanium said he would respond the next day. On June 29, I received a six-line letter from him reiterating his stand on withdrawing his consent. In view of this, the proposal [for recommending his name by the collegium] had to be recalled. I discussed the issue with the members of the collegium and two future CJIs and felt there was no point in pursuing the matter further.”
Justice Lodha, however, made it clear that the judiciary would never compromise its independence.
