'Crowning' controversies

Not many people know this, but the responsibility of appointing former judge Markandey Katju as chairman of the Press Council of India rested solely with Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs, Rajiv Shukla. Justice Katju and Shukla’s father were close friends. It was Shukla who had suggested Katju’s name to the government after he retired. Katju, who is now well-known for his controversial views on censorship and freedom, recently called Salman Rushdie a ‘substandard’ author.