The Delhi High Court verdict that the office of the Chief Justice of India (CJI) comes within the purview of the Right to Information (RTI) Act has been hailed by legal experts.
Law and Justice Minister Veerappa Moily said: “we must safeguard the independence of the judiciary...We do not consider the verdict as an embarrassment.”
Prominent lawyer Prashant Bhushan, who has been appearing for RTI activist Subash C Agarwal, said, “It is a very historic judgment, which will certainly enhance the stature of judiciary in the country.”
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Mr. Agarwal said the verdict was a “victory for consumers of justice.”
The former CJI, V.N. Khare, said fears that the RTI Act could be abused to get details of judges’ assets were unfounded.
Senior advocate K.T.S. Tulsi said the ruling would strengthen the faith of the common man in the judiciary.
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Law is safe: Krishna Iyer
Kochi Special Correspondent reports:
The former Supreme Court Judge, V.R. Krishna Iyer, hailed the High Court verdict. “It’s well done, the law is safe. It shows that everybody in this country, including the Chief Justice of India, is bound by the law of the land,” Mr. Iyer told The Hindu.