News

Manmohan Singh says nothing to add on Katju allegation

by IBNS 22 Jul 2014, 12:37 am

New Delhi, July 22 (IBNS) While Parliament witnessed uproar and Union Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad on Tuesday pointed at the previous UPA government over the judicial corruption issue raised by Justice Katju, former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said he has nothing to add on the issue beyond what former law minister HR Bharadwaj said.

"The former Law Minister H R Bharadwaj has explained everything. I have nothing more to add," Manmohan Singh told CNN IBN channel.
 
According to the channel, HR Bharadwaj earlier said Justice Katju's allegations  that the procedure followed in the appointment in Justice Ashok- the accused Tamil Nadu district court judge who was elevated as a judge in the Madras High Court and was given extension despite corruption charges, was strictly according to procedure.

In Rajya Sabha, Ravi Shankar Prasad said the office of the prime minister (Manmohan Singh) had in June 2005 and 2006  asked the Supreme Court collegium to consider the "corrupt" judge referred to by Justice Katju now in his blogs. He said notes were sent to the SC collegium then by the Law Ministry and PMO had sought clarifications on the judge.
 
The Lok Sabha was adjourned for 15 minutes over the uproar.

Prasad, however, said the "clock can't be pushed back" and "the honourable judge has retired and is no more."

"The other judges have retired. The clock can't be put back. But yes, there's an imperative need to improve the system of appointment of honorable judges," said  Prasad.

Meanwhile, Justice Markandey Katju, who created a ripple with his allegations that former chief justices of India overlooked the elevation of a corrupt judge because of the political compulsions of the previous United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government, has again blogged, this time throwing questions at former chief justice RC Lahoti in particular.
 
Press Council of India chairman and former Supreme Court judge Justice Markandey Katju has sparked a fresh row over judicial corruption alleging that an additional judge of the Madras High Court was favoured by an acting chief justice for his elevation while several Chief Justices of India also allowed him to continue despite probes against him establishing the graft charges. He said the corruption was allowed because the Manmohan Singh government was forced to do so by its Tamil Nadu ally, though he did not name DMK.