TN lawyers protest to President, Collegium against bid to appoint Gowri as HC judge

The Supreme Court Collegium headed by Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud and comprising Justices Sanjay Kishan Kaul and K M Joseph had on January 17 proposed Gowri’s name, along with that of four others, for elevation to the Madras High Court. The government is yet to clear the four names, including that of Venkatachari Lakshminarayanan, Pillaipakkam Bahukutumbi Balaji, Ramaswamy Neelakandan and Kandhasami Kulandaivelu Ramakrishnan.

Among those who signed the letters written to the President and the SC Collegium, all senior lawyers of the Madras High Court, are NGR Prasad, R Vaigai, S S Vasudevan, Anna Mathew, D Nagasaila, T Mohan and S Devika.

Citing two video interviews and an article allegedly written by Gowri and the position she held in the BJP as national general secretary of the party’s Mahila Morcha, the lawyers sought to “remind” the Collegium about the “independence of the judiciary and the principle behind the collegium choosing future judges of the higher judiciary”.

Citing two interviews allegedly given by Gowri to an RSS-affiliated channel and an article she allegedly wrote for the ‘Organiser,’ the letter said Gowri “launched a shocking, distasteful diatribe against Christians”. “Her statements in these interviews amount to hate speech likely to spread and incite communal discord/violence,” the letters sent to the President  and collegium said.

The letters said, “Gowri’s regressive views are also completely antithetical to foundational constitutional values and reflect her deep-rooted religious bigotry making her unfit to be appointed as a high court judge. The Collegium’s recommendation of a person who harbours such strong antipathy towards the minority community is disturbing, to say the least.”

Speaking to The Indian Express on January 22, five days after her name was recommended by the Supreme Court Collegium, Gowri had said that she stepped down from all BJP posts and resigned as party member in June 2020. “Before I took charge as Assistant Solicitor General in September 2020, I was relieved from all party posts and membership,” she said.