Judges should not 'shirk' cases, says Nariman

Kochi, June 29: Coming down on

who recuse themselves from hearing certain cases, senior

advocate Fali S Nariman on Sunday said Judges should not 'shirk' cases.

"Judges when they recuse themselves from cases, ought to give reasons publicly on why they are recusing as otherwise media imagines various reasons and pushes them as correct reason and the judges have to later deny", Nariman, told reporters in a brief interaction at the sidelines of a function here.

"It is better to say I am not taking the case because of the following reasons.... What is so wrong about it?. They are entitled to say I am not taking up the case, provided there is good reason", he said, adding, Judges should not 'shirk' cases.

On the Centre's decision to segregate the name of former Solicitor General Gopal Subramaniam, recommended for elevation as Supreme Court Judge from the panel of four names suggested by the Supreme court collegium, Nariman said "I would not like to comment".

The appointments of Chief Justice of Calcutta High Court Arun Mishra, Orissa High Court Chief Justice Adarsh Kumar Goel and eminent lawyer Rohinton Nariman were approved by the Centre and they are to take oath as apex court Judges.

Nariman said his son Rohinton Nariman, whose name was among the three cleared by the Centre, "had appeared six months ago as counsel in a Gujarat Lok Pal case which was against Narendra Modi and they appointed him. So, it is not as if, if you appear against a person, that they do not appoint you", he said.

Earlier, speaking at a function here after releasing former Supreme Court Judge V R Krishna Iyer's book 'Centenary Miscellany at Law', Nariman urged district judges and young lawyers to read old judgements of the apex court of seventies and eighties.

Nariman urged the lawyers to write to CJI and judges of the Supreme Court to unveil the portrait of Justice Krishna Iyer in one of the court rooms as he deserves special recognition. Kerala High Court Chief Justice Manjula Chellur and Justice Krishna Iyer also spoke.

PTI