Chief Justice meets Attorney General over judges' allegations

Chief Justice of India Dipak Misra on Friday met Attorney General K K Venugopal over allegations made by four Supreme Court judges.

In an unprecedented press conference earlier in the day, four judges - Justices Madan B Lokur, Kurien Joseph, Ranjan Gogoi and J Chelameswar- said that "things are not in order" in the functioning of the Supreme Court.

They claimed that by addressing the media and bringing matters to light, they had discharged a debt to the nation by issuing an appeal to save the institution (Supreme Court).

They made a reference to a letter that they had written to the Chief Justice of India Dipak Misra in which they highlighted the corrosion and compromise taking place within the institution of the judiciary and especially within the portals of the Supreme Court.

Speaking on behalf of the four judges, Justice Chelameswar said, "We owe a responsibility to the institution and the nation. Our efforts have failed in convincing the CJI to take steps to protect the institution."

"The hallmark of a good democracy is an independent and impartial judge. The judge is symbolic here, it is the institution," he said.