The timing of Justice Markandey Katju’s revelations is not the point of issue now (July 23); it is the substance in the allegation. But for his move, people would have never known about the misdeeds and wrongdoing committed by the UPA that was arm-twisted by errant allies. If this had been exposed during the UPA’s rule, the issue would have been tactfully buried. It is also clear that based on their electoral strength, parties can do or undo things to their liking.
D. Sethuraman,Chennai
DMK president M. Karunanidhi seems to have adopted the “offence is the best form of defence” route after Justice Katju opened a Pandora’s box (July 23). What is also worrisome is the stand of former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. The Congress and the DMK have shown remarkable consistency in refusing to learn from blunders. Justice Katju’s revelation has also cast light on the state of the justice system — those who commit crimes that run into crores of rupees strut about freely while those who commit ordinary crimes languish in jail.
K. Raji,Mumbai
There is no sense in making this disclosure now. The judge in question is no more and the three Chief Justices have retired. It only appears to be an attempt to test the waters and dig into the past. Nevertheless, the episode shows that the judiciary is not insulated from political influence. It is a shame that the three arms of the state, the legislature, the judiciary and the executive, are not clean.
M.Y.Shariff,Chennai
The “startling” revelations are not just disquieting but border on the outrageous.
In a democracy like ours, it is shocking that “the considered decision of the collegium of judges can be undermined by political influence.” Justice Katju did not point his finger at any party in Tamil Nadu. But by a simple process of exclusion, the needle of suspicion points to only one party. Buried ghosts have a habit of coming to the surface for no apparent reason. Sadly though, we do not have a single Daniel or Solomon in our judicial system.
C.V. Venugopalan,Palakkad
Justice Katju’s sudden urge to shed light on misdeeds in the judiciary appears to be an attempt to curry favour with his new masters. The judiciary is the strongest pillar of governance and it has been functioning well in reining in a corrupt government. Any attempt to dilute its functions must be condemned and stopped.
Radheshyam Sharma,Kolkata
Doesn’t taking 10 long years to make such an issue public amount to dereliction of duty on the part of Justice Katju?
Does it not pertain to the period when he was the Chief Justice of Madras? What has happened shows that power corrupts and corrupts absolutely.
Tharcius S. Fernando,Chennai
Justice Katju is a person of impeccable honesty who is frank and fearless. After this episode, one is sure that in the coming months and years, the country can expect more cans of worms to be opened by insiders who were privy to the way the UPA functioned. What is urgently required is for the new government to revive and pass the lapsed and pending Judicial Accountability and Judicial Reforms Bills on a war footing and suspend the Supreme Court’s collegium system.
T. Raju,Secunderabad
