New Delhi: The Bar Council of India met here Saturday and unanimously decided that a seven-member delegation of the bar would try to meet majority of Supreme Court judges Sunday in an attempt to persuade them to resolve the crisis facing the highest judiciary at the earliest.
‘‘We are ready to offer our mediation,’’ BCI president Manan Misra told the media after the meeting in which resolutions were passed on the crisis triggered by the press conference of four judges attacking the Chief Justice of India Friday.
Addressing the media after the meeting, Manan said the matter should not be politicised and should be resolved amicably.
Mishra said it was a family dispute and should be resolved within the judiciary. However, he felt the judges should not have gone to the media with their complaints.
Earlier, he said it was “most unfortunate” that four senior judges held a press conference, sending out a message that all was not well with the Supreme Court and that the issue should have been “sorted out internally”.
“We have unanimously decided to form a 7-member delegation of the Council who will meet honourable judges of the Supreme Court. We want that the matter be solved at the earliest,” the BCI chairman told reporters.
Four seniormost judges – Justices Jasti Chelameswar, Ranjan Gogoi, Madan B Lokur and Kurian Joseph – alleged Friday that the CJI has been arbitrarily assigning important cases to benches headed by junior SC judges, ignoring senior ones.
Addressing the media on the lawns of Chelameswar’s bungalow on Tughlaq Road, 200 metres from the CJI’s residence, the judges said they were forced to hold the press meet because a letter they had sent to the CJI two months ago pointing out mistakes had gone unanswered. Meanwhile, latching onto media reports that the Prime Minister’s principal secretary turned up at the Chief Justice of India’s residence, the Congress Saturday said Prime Minister Narendra Modi must answer as to why a “special messenger” was sent to the Chief Justice of India (CJI).
TV visuals showed prime minister’s Principal Secretary Nripendra Misra driving to the residence of CJI Dipak Misra.
However, the gates were not opened and after waiting for a while, he left. The development came a day after four senior-most judges of the Supreme Court virtually revolted against the CJI, raising questions over ‘‘selective’’ case allocation.
Agencies
