"If someone enters politics from judiciary, it raises questions...": Firhad Hakim

KOLKATA: After the Bharatiya Janata Party announced the candidature of former Calcutta High Court judge Abhijit Gangopadhyay from Tamluk constituency for Lok Sabha polls, West Bengal Minister Firhad Hakim on Monday said that questions can be raised about the judgements delivered by those judges who decide to leave the judiciary and enter politics.

"For us, the judiciary is like a god and if someone from their enters politics, it raises questions about the previous judgements they have made. We want a judge to be impartial. A judge who thinks for society and delivers a judgement without any bias," Firhad Hakim told ANI.

Referring to former Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi, who became a Rajya Sabha member, and former Supreme Court S Abdul Nazeer, who was appointed Andhra Pradesh Governor, Firhad Hakim said that this is a "very dangerous" trend of people in judiciary harbouring "high aspirations". "We saw a Chief Justice who, after retirement, within a few days became a Rajya Sabha member. Another Muslim Justice who delivered the judgement in favour of Ram Mandir was made the Andhra Pradesh Governor. This is a dangerous game, there should be no place for high aspirations in the judiciary. God cannot be biased towards anyone. Similarly, the judiciary has to work," he said.

On the BJP's ticket distribution for the Lok Sabha elections, Firhad Hakim said that the BJP is not giving tickets to those who believe in their ideology, rather, it is providing opportunities to those who believe in the ideology of the Trinamool Congress. "There is nothing left in the BJP, they aren't giving tickets to the people who believe in their ideology. All candidates to whom they've given tickets either belong to TMC or have been under the influence of TMC's ideology. BJP is nowhere in Bengal," he said.

Firhad Hakim, who is also the Kolkata Mayor, extended greetings to the people on the occasion of Holi. "This festival of Holi is the symbol of how India should be. This is a festival for uniting society. In Bengal, Rabindranath Tagore started playing Holi. He used to celebrate in Santiniketan," he said.