Feeling “let down” by the government and the judiciary, senior advocate and former Solicitor General Gopal Subramanium on Wednesday informed Chief Justice of India R.M. Lodha that he was withdrawing his consent for appointment as a Supreme Court judge.
In his nine-page letter, Mr. Subramanium told the CJI, “I do not want my elevation to be the subject matter of any kind of politicisation.
I am dismayed at reports that the file forwarded by the court to the government recommending four names for elevation (including mine) has been segregated and the names of three candidates (not including mine) have been cleared by the government as well as by the President of India and that warrants have been issued for their appointment.”
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Speaking to journalists at his residence, Mr. Subramanium said, “I withdrew my consent to uphold my self-respect and dignity.” Asked whether he would change his stand if the collegium were to reiterate his appointment, he said his decision was final.
“I don’t want to start as a judge with trust deficit from the government, particularly when there is a chance of my becoming the future CJI,” he said.
Asked if he was disappointed with the Supreme Court for not defending him, Mr. Subramanium said, “I feel the court should have taken up the matter with the government when all sorts of allegations and diatribe were thrown at me. It is really unfortunate that the court permitted this to happen.
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I want the candidature of a judge of the Supreme Court to be decided in some kind of sacredness and should not be bashed about.”