Supreme Court Judges’ Press Conference Will Dent Judiciary’s Image, Legal Fraternity Says

Many of India's eminent jurists criticised the decision of four senior most judges of the Supreme Court to hold a press conference yesterday, publicly questioned the leadership of Chief Justice of India Dipak Misra.

After submitting a seven-page letter of protest to the Chief Justice on Friday morning, the judges went public with their grievances and held a press conference, a first in the history of India, raising questions regarding the allocation of cases and the delay in finalisation of the Memorandum of Procedure.

Former Attorney General of India Soli Sorabjee said the unprecedented rift in the Supreme Court will dent public perception of the Indian judiciary and hoped for an early resolution of the matter.

Judges Can't Behave Like Company Shareholders, Says Soli Sorabjee

“The public perception about the Supreme Court of India would ‘definitely' be affected as four senior judges of the apex judicial body went public about their differences with the sitting Chief Justice of India,” Sorabjee told BloombergQuint in an interview.

Not A Judicial Crisis, Attorney General Says

The questioning by the four senior judges of Supreme Court regarding its administration is not a judicial crisis, Attorney General of India, KK Venugopal said.

“I don't think one should elevate it to a level that it will affect the confidence of the people in the institution,” Venugopal told BloombergQuint in an interview, adding that it would be ‘better appropriate' if the judges followed procedure and placed their concerns before the full court.

The Attorney General expressed hope that the four judges would settle that matter within a couple of days.

Also Read: A Supreme Court Changed Forever: Editorial

Cannot Administer Supreme Court Through Public Announcement: RS Sodhi

The move by the four senior judges was “appalling”, former Delhi High Court Judge RS Sodhi said.

Four Senior Judges Discharged Their Duty To The Nation, Says Prashant Bhushan

Supreme Court Advocate Prashant Bhushan lauded the four Justices for “letting the country know that the Chief Justice of India has been “abusing his power” as the Master of Roster to assign cases in a particular manner “to arrive at a pre-determined outcome”.

Enormous Discontent Within The Collegium, Says Arvind Datar

Never before in the world's largest democracy have sitting Supreme Court judges gone public with their differences—let alone hold a press conference. “This must've been the last straw after not being able to persuade the Chief Justice regarding a bench,” Senior Advocate Arvind Datar told BloombergQuint.

Also Read: Supreme Court Judges' Letter To Chief Justice Of India: Full Text

Judges' Conference Only Created Room For Speculation, Says Supreme Court Bar Association President

The press conference held by the four Supreme Court judges stated no clear issues but only raised questions and gave room for speculation which was “not desirable”, the president of the Supreme Court Bar Association, Vikas Singh, said.