CHENNAI: The DMK’s official mouthpiece, Murasoli, has criticised the central government for appointing retired judges in important positions, calling it a disgrace to the judiciary. The publication specifically mentioned the recent appointment of former Supreme Court Judge S Abdul Nazeer as Governor of Andhra Pradesh just 45 days after his retirement, as well as the nominations of former Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi to the Rajya Sabha and former Supreme Court Judge Ashok Bhushan as the chairperson of the National Company Law Appellate Tribunal.
The editorial further pointed out Justice Nazeer was part of the five-member bench that delivered verdicts, the majority of which, were in favour of the Ram temple in the Ayodhya case, as well as upholding the decision to demonetise currency notes. The editorial directly accused the ruling BJP stating the appointment of Justice Nazeer is to protect the party from charges levelled against it.
The editorial further expressed concern over the future of the Indian judiciary, given that three of the five judges who heard the Ayodhya case have now been given posts. The editorial further recalled the statement made by former union minister and departed BJP leader Arun Jaitley, “The clamour for the post-retirement jobs among judges is affecting the impartiality of the judiciary.”