CHENNAI: A section of lawyers practising in the Madras High Court has upped the ante against the Supreme Court Collegium’s recent recommendation to appoint advocate Lekshmana Chandra Victoria Gowri as a judge of the Madras High Court, saying that she is unfit for the position of her ‘regressive views’ on the Christian community.
In a memorandum, shot off to the President seeking her to return the file recommending Victoria Gowri as a judge of Madras High Court, the lawyers said, “Gowri’s regressive views are also completely antithetical to the foundational Constitutional values and reflect her deep-rooted religious bigotry making her unfit to be appointed as a high court judge.” They referred to two interviews by Gowri on a Youtube channel hosted by RSS.
In one of the interviews - more threat to national security and peace? Jihad or Christian Missionary?- uploaded on February 27, 2018, she launched a distasteful diatribe against Christians stating that, like Islam is green terror, Christianity is white terror, the lawyers noted.
In the second interview, captioned cultural genocide by Christian missionaries in Bharat - Victoria Gowri, she refers to “the nefarious activity of the Roman Catholics” and proclaims that Bharatanatyam should not be danced to Christian songs, the memorandum stated, adding the statements amount to hate speech likely to spread and incite communal discord/violence. It also refers to an article published in the RSS mouthpiece - Organiser - on religious conversions.
The memorandum was signed by 22 lawyers including senior advocates NGR Prasad, R Vaigai, Anna Mathew, D Nagasaila, V Suresh, T Mohan and Sudha Ramalingam. Quoting the United Nations’ initiatives against hate speech, the signatories said, “It is therefore ironical that the Collegium should recommend a person who has propelled her career by fomenting hatred through her public utterances. This recommendation will be viewed as nothing but a betrayal of the Indian Constitution and the global commitment to eradicate hate speech.”
“In the context of Gowri’s utterances, can any litigant belonging to the Muslim or Christian community ever hope to get justice in her court if she becomes a judge,” they said. The lawyers demanded the President return the file and seek clarification on how a person who has spread hate speech recommended to a high constitutional office of HC judge.
In a similar memorandum sent to the Supreme Court Collegium, the lawyers stated that it is extremely critical at this juncture to safeguard the institution from being weakened by its own administrative action and sought to recall the recommendation.