Political views held as lawyer shouldn’t stop judgeship: CJI on Madras HC judge
The proposal to elevate the lawyer, who has been representing the Centre before the Madurai bench, has been mired in controversy due to her alleged affiliation to the BJP.
CJI D Y Chandrachud (PTI)
NEW DELHI: Defending the collegium’s decision to appoint advocate Lekshmana Chandra Victoria Gowri as a judge of the Madras High Court, Chief Justice DY Chandrachud has said one should not be “cold calling” individuals merely for views they may have held as lawyers.
The proposal to elevate the lawyer, who has been representing the Centre before the Madurai bench, has been mired in controversy due to her alleged affiliation to the BJP.
Alleging that she had delivered hate speeches against Christians and Muslims, some members of the bar had written to the CJI seeking a recall of the recommendation made for appointing Gowri as an additional judge.
Speaking at the Harvard Law School Center on the legal profession, the CJI said the collegium looked “very carefully” at the nature of the speech and feedback was shared with all stakeholders, including the Centre.
“The process of appointing judges is a fairly complicated process involving different layers of the federal system--the states, and Union investigative agencies such as the Intelligence Bureau. This is very a broad-based collaborative process going on where no one arm has a decisive role to play,” Chandrachud said. Expressing his views, the CJI said lawyers who represent a cross-section of diverse political perspectives turn out to be amazing judges.
“One of our greatest judges, Justice Krishna Iyer, who came out with some of the finest judgments, had a political background. My own experience has been that judges who appear for a cross-section of diverse political views across the spectrum have turned out to be amazing judges.
“So, I am not sure we should be cold calling an individual merely for views they may have held as lawyers because I do believe that there is something in our profession of judging that once you assume judicial office which makes you dispassionate,” CJI Chandrachud said.
The top court had refused to entertain a plea seeking to restrain Gowri from taking oath as an additional judge.
