Former Chief Justice of India (CJI) M.N. Venkatachaliah here on Saturday described Jasti Chelameswar, senior-most judge of the Supreme Court, as “a sanyasi in court.” Justice, truth, and courage are the companions of his soul, he said.
His comments assume importance at a time when the country is debating the recent press conference held by the apex court’s four senior-most judges, led by Mr. Chelameswar, accusing Chief Justice of India Dipak Misra of selectively assigning cases to judges of his choice without any rational basis.
Mr. Venkatachaliah was speaking at the inaugural ceremony of Ramaiah Public Policy Centre (RPPC) where Mr. Chelameswar was the chief guest.
The former CJI said he was Mr. Chelameswar’s guest whenever he visited Hyderabad and that they discussed various interesting topics. Mr. Chelameswar will get Nobel Prize if he writes a book on the history of Telugu speaking people, he said.
In his address, Mr. Chelameswar said he wondered why public sector institutions could not be maintained as elegantly and efficiently as many private sector institutions. “This matter requires serious attention,” he said.
On public policy, Mr. Chelameswar said the Constituent Assembly of India was the greatest public policy centre of the country that has created a well-researched policy called Constitution of India. Stating that the task of safeguarding the Constitution is the responsibility of the next generation, he said that any policy research will have to essentially ensure implementation of goals elaborated in the Constitution though the Constitution itself is being amended from time to time.
Former Chairman of Atomic Energy Commission Anil Kakodkar, who is the chairperson of RPPC’s advisory board, said that preparation of a policy on governance is a challenging task in the fast changing technological era.
