Over 500 legal practitioners, including prominent lawyer Harish Salve, have penned an open letter to Chief Justice of India, DY Chandrachud, expressing concern over politicians resorting to pressure tactics to influence courts.
The letter from the lawyers comes days after former Union Minister and prominent lawyer Kapil Sibal made a remark regarding the "history of the court" during the hearing on writ petition filed by BRS leader K Kavitha before a 3-Judge Bench of the Supreme Court.
During the hearing, Sibal stated, "When the history of this court will be written, this will not be a golden period." This remark was made in the context of Kavitha, a Telangana MLC and the daughter of former Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao, who was arrested in Hyderabad on March 15 and remanded to ED custody a day later.
The lawyers' letter, titled 'Protecting the Judiciary from Political and Professional Influence,' highlights that a certain "vested interest group" is attempting to exert pressure on the judiciary, manipulate the judicial process, and tarnish the reputation of our courts based on weak reasoning and outdated political agendas.
"Their actions are polluting the atmosphere of trust and cooperation that defines the judiciary's operation," the letter states.
The letter further reads, "This heated interest group operates in various ways. They create false narratives of a supposed 'better past' and 'golden period of the courts,' contrasting them with the happenings in the present. These are nothing but intentional statements, made to sway court decisions and to embarrass the courts for certain political gains. It's troubling to see some lawyers defend politicians by day and then try to influence judges through the media at night."
The letter alleges that the "pressure tactics" employed by this vested interest group are most evident in political cases, especially those involving corruption allegations against political figures.
"These maneuvers pose a threat to our courts and undermine the integrity of our democratic system," it concludes.
