Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday took a ‘vintage Congress culture’ jibe after over 600 lawyers wrote to the Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud, raising concerns against the actions of a “specific interest group”.
Prominent lawyers such as senior advocate Harish Salve and Bar Council of India chairman Manan Kumar Mishra were among the 600 who wrote to the CJI.
He said that it is Congress’ culture to browbeat and bully others while “shamelessly” wanting commitment for their selfish interests.
In a post on X (formerly Twitter), PM Modi said, “To browbeat and bully others is vintage Congress culture. 5 decades ago itself they had called for a “committed judiciary” – they shamelessly want commitment from others for their selfish interests but desist from any commitment towards the nation. No wonder 140 crore Indians are rejecting them.”
Contesting PM Modi’s comment, Congress leader Jairam Ramesh said that all the Prime Minister has done in the last ten years is divide, distort, divert, and defame.
On PM Modi‘s “no wonder 140 crore Indians are rejecting” Congress, Ramesh said, “140 crore Indians are waiting to give him a befitting reply very soon.”
In his post on X, Ramesh said, “The PM’s brazenness in orchestrating and coordinating an attack on the judiciary, in the name of defending the judiciary, is the height of hypocrisy! The Supreme Court has delivered body blows to him in recent weeks. The Electoral Bonds Scheme is but one example. The Supreme Court declared them to be unconstitutional – and it is now proved beyond doubt that they were a blatant instrument of fear, blackmail, and intimidation to force companies to donate to the BJP.”
“Instead of giving a legal guarantee to MSP, the Prime Minister has given a legal guarantee to corruption. All that the Prime Minister has done in the last ten years is divide, distort, divert, and defame. 140 crore Indians are waiting to give him a befitting reply very soon,” he added.
The lawyers, in the letter, said that a “special group” is employing pressure tactics to influence judicial outcomes, particularly in cases involving political figures and corruption allegations.
They also accused the “interest group” of creating a false narrative about judges and the court, while also accusing the group of “bench fixing,” “comparisons of domestic courts to those in lawless regimes,” and “attacks on judges’ honour.”
The lawyers’ group has also pointed out the timing of the tactics employed by the “interest group”, saying “The timing of their modus operandi also merits closer scrutiny-they do it at very strategic timings when the nation is all set to head into elections. We are reminded of similar antics in 2018-19 when they took their ‘hit and run’ activities, including fabricating false narratives.”
The lawyers have requested the Supreme Court to take protective measures against these attacks to maintain the judiciary’s integrity.
The lawyers said that “efforts to belittle and manipulate the courts for personal and political reasons cannot be allowed under any circumstances…Staying silent or doing nothing could accidentally give more power to those who mean to harm.”
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Published: 28 Mar 2024, 04:58 PM IST