Controversies plaguing SC since last year presser by 4 judges

Controversies plaguing the apex court since last year's unprecedented press conference by four senior most judges came to fore once again with the Supreme Court on Thursday observing, "truth of last year has not come out till now, people of the country need to know the truth".

On January 12, 2018, the then four senior most judges -- Justices J Chelameswar, Ranjan Gogoi, M B Lokur and Kurian Joseph of the apex court -- had mounted a virtual revolt against the then Chief Justice of India Dipak Misra by holding a press conference to list a litany of allegations including the assigning of cases in the top court and saying that there were certain issues afflicting the country's highest court.

A lawyer, who was present during the hearing Thursday but wished not to be named, said that a remark by Justice Arun Mishra that the Supreme Court cannot be remote controlled by anyone reminded of the reported statement by Justice Kurian after his retirement that then CJI Dipak Misra was being remote controlled from outside.

The advocate was referring to the statement made by Justice Mishra during the hearing in which he said: "It is not only our institution but your institution also. The way this institution is being treated in last few years we must say that we will not survive if this will happen.

"If the institution is targeted you will also not survive. Do the rich and powerful of this country think that they can remote control the Supreme Court. We don't think that Supreme Court can be remote controlled by anything on earth, whether money power or political power."
The bench said, "The way this institution is treated in last few years we must say that we will not survive if this will happen.There is a systematic attack, systematic game to malign this institution."