Katju fires fresh salvo at Lahoti over corrupt TN judge charge

The raging controversy over Katju’s allegation also led law minister Ravi Shankar Prasad to tell Parliament that there is an imperative need to improve the system of appointment of judges and the government was ‘quite keen’ to appoint a National Judicial Commission for this purpose.

As Katju, who is now chairman of the Press Council of India, stood firm on his allegation, AIADMK members protested in Parliament for the second straight day and demanded that the DMK minister who was behind the move to retain the judge during the UPA rule be named.

Katju on Monday alleged that Justice Lahoti and his successors – Justices YK Sabharwal and KG Balakrishnan – made ‘improper compromises’ and ‘succumbed’ to political pressure in the extension of an unnamed additional judge of Madras High Court at the instance of UPA-I government owing to pressure from an ally, a ‘Tamil Nadu party’, apparently DMK, and his confirmation as permanent judge.

‘If indeed the IB reported, after an enquiry, that the Judge was indulging in corruption, why did he (Justice Lahoti) recommend to the Government of India to give that corrupt Judge another term of one year as Additional Judge in the High Court?’, was one of the questions posed by Katju.

Justice Lahoti is quoted as having said that he has never done anything wrong in his life and that everything is a matter of record while Justice Balakrishnan rejected the allegation against him as ‘completely baseless and not factually correct’.

On the controvery over the timing of his statement, Katju said, ‘Some people have commented about the timing of my statement. What happened was that some Tamilians had commented on Facebook that I am posting several matters on my Facebook post, so I should also post some of my experiences in Madras High Court’.

‘Then I started posting about my experiences there, and it was at time I remembered this experience too, and posted it,’ he added.

Government admitted that a Supreme Court collegium during the UPA rule had recommended extension of the judge.

‘Name the DMK minister at the Centre,’ shouted agitated AIADMK members who stormed the Well of the Lok Sabha as they were not satisfied with the response given by Prasad, forcing two adjournments of the House.