The war of words between Press Council of India Chairman Markandey Katju and the former Chief Justice of India R.C. Lahoti intensified on Tuesday with the former accusing the latter of obfuscating the issue of extension of term of a “corrupt” Additional Judge of the Madras High Court by not responding to his specific questions. Mr. Justice Lahoti replied: “I do not believe in stooping to anyone’s level.”
Mr. Justice Katju blogged twice during the day in reaction to the response of Mr. Justice Lahoti to a television channel on the controversy kicked up by an earlier blog, “How a corrupt judge continued in the MHC [Madras High Court].” Mr. Justice Katju’s questions to Mr. Justice Lahoti are essentially a repetition of what he dwelt upon in his July 20 blog; only they are framed as specific questions in view of the statement of the latter that he had never done any wrong. Mr. Justice Katju wrote, “Why does he not say specifically whether it is true or not that I requested him to get an IB [Intelligence Bureau] inquiry held to find out whether the judge concerned was indulging in corruption? Whether he on my request ordered an IB inquiry? Whether he subsequently telephoned me from Delhi when I was in Chennai that the IB has reported that the judge concerned is indeed indulging in corruption?”
Mr. Katju sought to put at rest questions about the timing of his revelations. The entire episode, he said, came to mind while writing about his experiences as Chief Justice of the Madras High Court. In a post titled “Some questions for Justice Lahoti” on his blog, ‘Satyam Bruyat’, on Tuesday, Justice Katju wrote, “What happened was that some Tamilians had commented on Facebook that I am posting several matters on my Facebook post, so I should also post some of my experiences in Madras High Court.”
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