Gehlot tenders unconditional apology for remarks on judiciary
In the submission filed by the CM through his counsel Prateek Kasliwal and others on Tuesday, Gehlot said that he has full faith in judiciary.
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Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot on Tuesday tendered an “unconditional apology” for his remarks where he had alleged corruption in the judiciary.
On August 30, Gehlot had alleged that there was rampant corruption in the judiciary and that he had heard that some lawyers write judgments which are then pronounced. Following his statement, advocate Shiv Charan Gupta had filed a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) with a plea that the Court takes suo motu cognisance of contempt of court. Following the PIL, a Bench of Justices Manindra Mohan Shrivastava and Ashutosh Kumar had issued notices to Gehlot and listed the matter for October 3.
In the submission filed by the CM through his counsel Prateek Kasliwal and others on Tuesday, Gehlot said that he has full faith in judiciary. However, if the Court feels that by his statement “he has in any manner attempted to lower down the respect or dignity of the judiciary in the mind of the public at large, the answering Respondent tenders his unconditional apology for the same.”
He, however, said that “Being a public representative, members of the public at large have been meeting the Respondent to showcase their grievances while highlighting corrupt practices taking place within the judicial system. This has greatly anguished the Respondent.”
He also pointed out that he has been reading about corruption in the judiciary by several former judges and also the then sitting judges of the Supreme Court and cited multiple news articles which carried statements by these judges and what they had said about corruption in the judiciary and the failure of democracy. Citing the articles, Gehlot said that hence, his “statement per se does not express his opinion but is a reflection of the statements and concern shown by those who held the highest positions in the judiciary.”
Gehlot also pointed out that he obtained a law degree in 1976 from Jodhpur University and “has been closely engaged with the legal profession during the earlier period of his career.”
He said that he has been in public life for almost 50 years in various capacities, including three terms as CM, and “avows that he had never been engaged in any attempt to belittle or undermine the functioning of the Judiciary/Courts and he assures to never do that in future as well.”
The matter is now listed for October 7.
High court lawyers and those working in the lower courts in Jodhpur had earlier observed a day-long strike over Gehlot’s remark. The CM had later backtracked, saying the comment did not reflect his “personal opinion”.
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