It is disconcerting to find a former Chief Justice of India, the Governor-designate of Kerala, on the backfoot denying that his new appointment had anything to do with his judgment quashing the second FIR against the present BJP president, Amit Shah, in the Tulsiram Prajapati case. Justice Sathasivam’s judicial integrity as a judge cannot and, in fact, should not be questioned. One is nevertheless left guessing as to what considerations might have weighed on the mind of the Modi government while appointing the former CJI as a Governor. While there are forceful arguments by experts both for and against his appointment, Justice Sathasivam should have politely turned down the offer, thus setting a healthy precedent for similar political appointments in future.
S.K. Choudhury,
Bangalore
