LAST FRIDAY, Home Minister Amit Shah, during a sudden tirade against the INDIA Bloc’s Vice Presidential Candidate former Justice B. Sudershan Reddy (who served as a judge at the Supreme Court between 2007 and 2011), accused the latter of being a supporter of the Naxalite movement. Shah particularly brought to attention Justice Reddy’s judgement in 2011 in Nandini Sundar v. State of Chhattisgarh directing the disbandment of the “Salwa Judum”, a militia consisting of tribal youth from Chhattisgarh who were paid by the State to undertake counterinsurgency work against Naxalite operations in the region. Shah went so far as to allege that if not for Justice Reddy’s judgement, the central government would have wiped off the Naxalites from the tribal area.
The home minister’s allegations have been retorted through a strong, collective condemnation by several retired judges of the Supreme Court and High Courts, as well as a senior advocate and a jurist. In their public statement released today morning, the retired judges have termed the remarks “unfortunate”, and noted that the Nandini Sundar decision, neither expressly nor by implication, lends support to Naxalism or its ideology.
The statement further noted:
“Prejudical misinterpretation of a judgment of the Supreme Court by a high political functionary is likely to have a chilling effect on the judges of the Supreme Court, shaking the independence of the judiciary”.
The retired judges have also urged that political campaigns for gubernatorial posts be conducted with civility and dignity. The name calling of candidates and attacking them in lieu of their alleged ideology, the judges noted, must cease.
