CJI RM Lodha slams Modi govt for rejecting Gopal Subramanium's candidature

Chief Justice of India RM Lodha has slammed Modi govt over the Gopal Subramanium row. NEW DELHI: Chief Justice of India RM Lodha has hit out at Narendra Modi government for rejecting the candidature of former solicitor general Gopal Subramanium as SC judge. "The first thing I had taken objection to was the segregation of Gopal Subramanium's file unilaterally by the executive. It is not proper," he said at a function here breaking his silence on the controversy that struck the new government within a month of its coming to power. Justice Lodha asserted that independence of judiciary was of utmost importance to him and told the lawyers at the function that "don't get the impression that independence of judiciary was compromised". "I promise 1.2 billion people of India that independence of judiciary will not be compromised," he said adding "I will be the first person to leave this chair if judiciary's independence is compromised". He was speaking at a function to bid farewell to Justice BS Chauhan who demitted office today on attaining the age of superannuation. The CJI was also shocked by Gopal Subramanium's letter to him accusing the judiciary of not sanding by the former solicitor general after his name was returned by the government citing adverse IB and CBI reports. CJI said he had asked Subramanium to wait till he returned from abroad to discuss the issue. But Gopal Subramanium decided to go public with the letter withdrawing consent for judgeship. CJI further said he had asked Subramanium to reconsider his decision but got a 30-word letter from him saying he was no more interested in judgeship. TOI