The Hindu : Tehelka affair

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Monday, Dec 02, 2002

Opinion

Opinion - Letters to the Editor

Tehelka affair

Sir, — Apropos your Editorial `An error of judgement' l'affaire Justice K. Venkataswami (Nov. 25). You have missed the point that all governments are political animals and always wait for opportunities and, consequently, there is no point in blaming them. But their lordships should have known that such appointments would heavily erode their credibility. In fact, if Mr. Venkataswami had given a favourable report on the Tehelka affair, he should not accept any post at all from the same government, let alone an appointment simultaneously. This episode raises two questions: first, judges and other Constitutional functionaries should not hanker after government positions after their tenures. Secondly, unimpeachable integrity should include, particularly in the context of the ranking of India by Transparency International, public credibility and not the exclusion of everything except acceptance of hard cash and foreign accounts by public functionaries.

G. Sundaram,

Chennai

* * *

Sir, — No one can question the integrity of Justice Venkataswami. You are right in lamenting why he had to be accommodated in a new post even while the Tehelka probe was in progress.

Mr. Venkataswami rightly resigned from both the posts.

I would not buy the argument that the Centre did not foresee the natural and legitimate fears and misgivings that would ensue from his appointment.

Could anyone rule out a conspiracy by the Centre to get rid of an upright judge who might bring many skeletons tumbling down in his report?

A. Manian,

Udhagamandalam, T.N.

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Opinion

Stories in this Section

Trial and errors

Spreading scourge

Old friends in changing times

Persisting with folly