‘New trend of government maligning judges’: CJI NV Ramana

The remarks came as a three-judge bench was hearing appeals against an order of the Chhattisgarh HC which had quashed an FIR lodged under the Prevention of Corruption Act against former CM Raman Singh’s Principal Secretary and his wife in 2020, after the BJP govt was voted out and Congress party came to power.

Written by Ananthakrishnan G

New Delhi | Updated: April 9, 2022 07:29 AM IST

3 min read

Chief Justice of India N V Ramana was addressing the inaugural session of the Telangana State Judicial Officers Conference-2022. (File Photo)

Chief Justice of India N V Ramana on Friday said there is a “new trend” of the government “maligning” judges.

The CJI, heading a bench also comprising Justices Krishna Murari and Hima Kohli, said: “It’s a new trend… Government has started maligning the judges. It’s unfortunate… We are watching in court also. Nowadays, it’s a new trend. Earlier, we used to see private parties with this type of tactic. We are watching every day.”

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He made these remarks while the bench was hearing appeals against an order of the Chhattisgarh High Court which had quashed an FIR lodged under the Prevention of Corruption Act against former Chief Minister Raman Singh’s Principal Secretary Aman Singh and his wife Yasmin Singh in 2020 after the BJP government was voted out and the Congress came to power in the state.

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The Economic Offences Wing of the Chhattisgarh Police lodged the FIR against them on February 25, 2020, based on a complaint by one Uchit Sharma, “a social and anti-corruption activist”, to the Chief Minister, seeking a probe into disproportionate assets allegedly accumulated by the couple.

On February 28, 2020, the High Court, in an interim order, directed that no coercive steps be taken against the couple. In an order dated January 10, 2022, the High Court quashed the FIR, saying “all the allegations levelled against the petitioner are prima facie based upon probabilities and on the basis of probability any person cannot be prosecuted”.

The High Court, in its order, also noted that the complaint by Sharma “was endorsed by the CM himself and it was mentioned ‘CS/EOW se jaanch karayein’.” Thereafter, a preliminary enquiry was initiated against Singh on November 11, 2019.

Sharma and the state government approached the Supreme Court, challenging the High Court decision. While examining the appeals, the CJI made these remarks.

Ananthakrishnan G

Ananthakrishnan G. is a Senior Assistant Editor with The Indian Express. He has been in the field for over 23 years, kicking off his journalism career as a freelancer in the late nineties with bylines in The Hindu. A graduate in law, he practised in the District judiciary in Kerala for about two years before switching to journalism. His first permanent assignment was with The Press Trust of India in Delhi where he was assigned to cover the lower courts and various commissions of inquiry. He reported from the Delhi High Court and the Supreme Court of India during his first stint with The Indian Express in 2005-2006. Currently, in his second stint with The Indian Express, he reports from the Supreme Court and writes on topics related to law and the administration of justice. Legal reporting is his forte though he has extensive experience in political and community reporting too, having spent a decade as Kerala state correspondent, The Times of India and The Telegraph. He is a stickler for facts and has several impactful stories to his credit. ... Read More

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