SCBA condemns AP CM”s allegation against sitting judge of apex court

Source:-https://www.outlookindia.com

New Delhi, Oct 17 (PTI) A Supreme Court lawyers” body has condemned Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy”s action of writing a letter to Chief Justice of India S A Bobde in which allegations have been levelled against a sitting judge of the top court.
The Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) said in its resolution that “such action by constitutional functionaries is opposed to conventions causing serious inroads impacting the independence of the judiciary as enshrined in the Constitution of India”.

The SCBA resolution was passed days after another lawyers’ body, Supreme Court Advocates-on-Record Association (SCAORA), had condemned the “unwarranted” release of the letter written by Reddy saying “it tends to scandalise and breach the independence of judiciary”.

The resolution of SCBA said that its executive committee, at a meeting on October 16, strongly condemned the action of the chief minister of Andhra Pradesh in releasing his letter to the Chief Justice of India (CJI) making allegations against the sitting judge in the public domain.

A similar resolution was also passed earlier this week by the Delhi High Court Bar Association (DHCBA) stating that the “ill-founded” letter “unfairly and without reason casts aspersions” on the conduct of the apex court judge and judges of the Andhra Pradesh High Court.

The DHCBA said the October 6 letter is an abject and uncalled for interference in the due administration of justice by the high court judges.

In an unprecedented move, the chief minister wrote the letter to the CJI, alleging that the Andhra Pradesh High Court was being used to “destabilise and topple my democratically elected government.”

He had requested the CJI to look into the matter and consider initiating steps “as may be considered fit and proper to ensure that the state judiciary”s neutrality is maintained”.

The chief minister had alleged that the senior apex court judge had proximity to TDP chief Chandrababu Naidu and that a “former judge of the honourable Supreme Court placed this fact on record”. PTI MNL ABA SJK RT