After going public, Justice Chelameswar refuses to comment on crisis with folded hands

After going public with his grievances on how matters were being allocated in the Supreme Court, Justice J Chelameswar refused to comment about the crisis.

With folded hands, he told the media at a book launch, " this is not the place or time for me to speak on the issue.

Chelameswar, who was away from the national capital since Friday and resumed holding of the court from Monday, did not accept any questions from scribes on the progress of resolving the deadlock.

Justices Chelameswar, Ranjan Gogoi, MB Lokur and Kurian Joseph had held an unprecedented press conference on January 12 and raised a litany of issues pertaining to the administration of the top court, including the allotment of sensitive cases.

Justice Lokur was also present at the book release function but did not address the gathering. After the function, he quietly left the venue as the media persons gathered around Justice Chelameswar.

The book release function was also attended by politicians such as Salman Khurshid, Jairam Ramesh and advocate Prashant Bhushan.

In the speech after the release of the book titled 'Supreme Court Of India, The Beginning', Justice Chelameswar said for the survival of a liberal democracy, an impartial judiciary is essential. While stressing the need for a study of the Supreme Court as an institution, he said that the decisions made by the apex court touched the lives of the entire population.

"For the survival of a liberal democracy, an impartial and independent judiciary is essential, without which liberal democracy will not flourish," Justice Chelameswar said.

OneIndia News