Don't want to hear 20 years later that we sold our souls: 4 SC judges

NEW DELHI: Justice Chelameswar, who was one of the four top Supreme Court judges who called a Press conference on Friday to declare that "all is not well" with the Supreme Court and to launch a sharp attack on Chief Justice of India (CJI) Dipak Misra, said, "There are many wise men saying many wise things in this country. We don't want wise men saying 20 years from now that Justice Chelameswar, Gogoi, Lokur and Kurian Joseph sold their souls and didn't do the right thing by our Constitution."

Asked whether they wanted the Chief Justice to be impeached, Justice Chelameswar said, "Let the nation decide."

The legal fraternity said that they were "pained" and "sad" at the outcome of events in the country's highest court. "It is very unfortunate," said former CJI K G Balakrishnan, while Congress leader Ashwani Kumar, who is also a senior advocate, observed, "It is a sad day for the judicial system."

Some senior advocates like K T S Tulsi said that there could have been some "compelling" reasons for the four judges to lay bare their differences. At the news conference, the judges rubbished suggestions that they have broken ranks and said they will discharge their duties as usual.

"The judiciary is the sanctuary of the common man. This kind of a situation will trigger doubts about the institution and this should not have happened," Justice Balakrishnan told reporters here. The judges should now move forward to find a solution to the situation, he added.

Stating that he was not blaming anyone for the development, Justice Balakrishnan said such a situation should not have occurred in the first place. He said that the judges should have discussed the matter and resolved it among themselves.

Justice Gogoi said, "Nobody is breaking the rank and it is discharge of debt to nation which we have done." Gogoi would be succeeding Misra as Chief Justice of India in October this year.

Congress President Rahul Gandhi called for an independent probe into the death of Judge Loya—who was hearing the Sorabuddin encounter case in which BJP President Amit Shah was an accused— by the highest bodies of the Supreme Court.