Congress sees red as Centre declines judge Joseph’s elevation to Supreme Court

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, April 26

The Congress on Thursday attacked the BJP-led government for rejecting the elevation of India’s seniormost Chief Justice of a high court J Joseph to the Supreme Court saying the judge was being targeted for his role in the Uttarakhand Presidential Rule order.

Congress Communications Incharge Randeep Singh Surjewala called the government decision unprecedented saying, “It is shocking that the government has disregarded the decision of the Supreme Court collegium of elevation of India’s seniormost Chief Justice, J Joseph to the Supreme Court. This is part of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s revenge politics qua judiciary and conspiratorial suffocation of the Supreme Court.”

Surjewala said J Joseph is India’s seniormost Chief Justice of a High Court and yet the government refused to clear his elevation to the SC.

“Was this done as retribution for Chief Justice Joseph quashing the presidential rule in Uttrakhand?” the Congress asked.

Surjewala called the government a “habitual offender with respect to trashing judicial integrity and ‘constitutional supremacy of institutions’”, adding, “In June 2014, they refused to clear noted jurist G Subramaniam’s name for elevation to the SC as he was a lawyer against Amit Shah and company.”

The Congress accused the PM of comprehensively attacking institutions—“he has abandoned parliamentary privileges, road-rolled independent media and is now attacking the judiciary”.

Surjewala’s parting note was a warning to the country, “If we don’t stand united against this, totalitarianism will triumph.”