Aditya Sinha: The four horsemen of revelation

Supreme Court justices Jasti Chelameswar Ranjan Gogoi Madan Lokur and Kurian Joseph called a press conference in New Delhi on Friday to raise questions about selection allocation of cases by the chief justice of the apex court PicPTIWhen four Supreme Court justices summoned the media so that they could tell the nation of their fears about the erosion of the courts integrity by current Chief Justice Dipak Misra it was arguably the first time the general public got a glimpse inside the nations apex court After all the Americans do a good incisive job reporting on their Supreme Court and bringing a measure of familiarity to its nine judges American journalists have also written books on themThe first I read The Brethren 1979 by Bob Woodward and Scott Armstrong on the Warren Burger courts early years had me in thrall despite each Supreme Courts insistence on gravitas decorum and precedent Jeffrey Toobin is wellknown for books like The Nine 2007 and a personal favourite is James F Simons The Center Holds 1995 examining the struggle between conservatives and liberals in William Rehnquists courtIs there a single book that goes behind the scenes of Indias Supreme Court It isnt that good reporting here doesnt exist Many of our correspondents are of high calibre Some even went so far as to obtain a law degree that the Supreme Court made a requirement for reporting over a decade back Some correspondents have regaled me with gossip about judges But not one has given us an insiders account The public has scant idea of the justices identities their backgrounds other than the bland biodata published at their elevation to the court their world views or their perspective on the Constitution of India Most Indians dont even know the sanctioned strength of the Supreme Court Its 31 and 27 are currently filledYet it is not only the lack of books until this scandal I had no idea that Justice Arun Mishra was trusted by the BJP It transpires that the chief justice was sending politically charged cases to benches with junior judges mdash for instance the petition to inquire into the sudden death of Judge BH Loya who at age 48 and without any prior cardiac history was said to have died of a heart attack while hearing the case of an alleged extrajudicial execution of a suspected terrorist at the order of then Gujarat home minister Amit Shah No wonder Judge Loyas son suspects foul play The media at its lapdog best has been quick to dismiss any suspicion hasty pronouncements have come from the Indian Express and NDTV no less In this regard the American media is far superior Despite the USAs foulmouthed racist President Donald Trumps constant baiting it refuses to cow down and continues speaking truth to powerIndeed a chunk of the Indian media and the BJPs online army has even targeted the four justices mdash J Chelameshwar Ranjan Gogoi Kurian Joseph and Madan B Lokur They have been called trade unionists Some see a Congress hand behind the controversy which would be good as it would indicate a concerned Opposition that is active about saving the nation Some trolls have called for exemplary punishment One BJPsupporting genius even mentioned that Justice Gogoi who is to take over as chief justice in October after Misra retires is the son of a former Congress chief minister of Assam Of course they did not bother to clarify that Justice Gogoi is not Tarun Gogois son but of the late Kesab Chandra Gogoi who was CM for two months in 1982 To think that an accomplished jurist like Gogoi with long service would limit himself to being a Congress party workers kin reveals more about the mental limitations of the person making such allegationsPresumably this is in line with their general philosophy that India needs a strongman ruler who will pay no heed to politics while fixing the nation Even the Supreme Court in their view should be run by a benevolent dictator and if cases are being manipulated it is being done for the greater good of the survival of the Great Leader even if justice and precedent is corroded beyond repair The irony here is that the same people correctly called out a UPA favourite as chief justice KG Balakrishnan who was long suspected of corruption and nepotismChief Justice Misra would be meeting his four colleagues on Sunday but dont expect any press releases One of them Joseph has already ruled out outside intervention It would be a shame if for the sake of the courts reputation pulled down from its rarified perch the court closes ranks and quietly goes about damage control even addressing the four justices grievances The best reform to the roster system would be to make the CJI accountable there is no greater accountability than that to the public and public accountability is best served by transparency If this minirevolt serves to end opacity in the nations highest court then the four justices need not fear historys judgmentAditya Sinhas crime novel The CEO Who Lost His Head is available now He tweets autumnshade Send 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