Supreme Court Crisis LIVE: Judges Meet Over Tea, Say 'Issues Need to be Solved Institutionally'

On Sunday, Chief Justice of India Dipak Misra had met a seven-member delegation of the Bar Council of India and Supreme Court Bar Association President Vikas Singh and had assured them that the crisis would be sorted out soon and congeniality would prevail. 

'STORM IN A TEA CUP' | The four judges -- Justices J Chelameswar, Ranjan Gogoi, Madan B Lokur and Kurian Joseph -- took up their respective business on the first working day of the top court after the January 12 press conference. Attorney General K K Venugopal said the issue has been settled.  "Now everything has been settled. The courts are functioning. It was a storm in a tea cup," Venugopal told a television channel.

'SELL OUR SOULS' | Justice Jasti Chelameswar's most defining statement during Friday's press conference: "We have seen a lot of wise men but we don't want wise men to tell us later after 20 years that the four of us have sold our souls. We construe this as a responsibility to the nation and we have done it."

TOP 5 QUESTIONS RAISED IN THE JUDGES' LETTER TO CJI:

1) Is top judiciary being run on whims? 

2) Are most senior judges being bypassed by the CJI? 

3) Are all big cases against Govt being assigned to "selective" benches 

4) Is Govt interfering with highest judiciary? 

5) Doesn't CJI need to answer?

Justice J Chelameswar, who was accompanied by Justices Ranjan Gogoi, MB Lokur and Kurian Joseph at the press conference, said they had met CJI Dipak Misra on Friday morning and

THE PEACEKEEPER JUDGE | Justice Sharad Arvind Bobde is in line to become the Chief Justice of India in November next year. But he seems to have assumed the role of peacekeeper in the family by rising to the occasion in this time of crisis for the top judiciary, putting his statesmanship to work. Justice Bobde could be the man to watch out for if the apex judiciary succeeds in coming out of the current crisis anytime soon. The judge, according to sources, is brokering peace between Chief Justice of India Dipak Misra on one side and four other senior-most judges – Justices J Chelameswar, Ranjan Gogoi, Madan B Lokur and Kurian Joseph – on the other.

Unless the institution of the Supreme Court is preserved, "democracy will not survive" in this country, Justice Chelameswar said at the unscheduled press conference, in the first of its kind event in independent India, leaving uncertain how this open dissension in the hallowed institution would be resolved. In a scathing criticism and unvarnished self-reflection of the Supreme Court, Chelameswar, who was accompanied by Justices Ranjan Gogoi, M B Lokur and Kurian Joseph at the press conference, said on Friday that they had met the chief justice in the morning and "raised issues affecting the institution."

THE JUDGE LOYA TRIGGER | All the four senior judges had met Chief Justice of India Dipak Misra on Friday morning with a question about the assignment of two PILs on Special CBI Judge BH Loya's death to court No.10, which is headed by Justice Arun Mishra. Loya was trying the Sohrabuddin Sheikh "fake encounter" killing case. He apparently suffered a cardiac arrest and breathed his last in December 2014 but the family later alleged foul play and said the judge was under pressure. On Friday morning, Justices J Chelameswar, Ranjan Gogoi, Madan B Lokur and Kurian Joseph confronted the CJI as to why such an important matter relating to death of a judicial officer was sent to court No.10, bypassing eight senior judges and benches. Disgruntled with the outcome of the meeting, the four judges immediately called for the 'historic' press conference at noon.

VENUGOPAL STATEMENT | Attorney General K K Venugopal had said on Friday that the unprecedented move by the four senior Supreme Court judges in holding a press conference "could have been avoided" and the judges would now have to act in "statesmanship" to ensure complete harmony. Venugopal, who had a meeting with Chief Justice of India (CJI) Dipak Misra after the press conference, spoke to PTI and expressed hope that all judges, including the CJI, would rise to the occasion and "wholly neutralise" the "divisiveness".

Multiple legal experts, including formed SC judges, have told News18 that a Full Court would be an 'ideal setting' to seek wider consensus on administrative reforms in higher judiciary.

Reports of the judges resolving their difference come amid reports that a Full Court meeting may take place in the Supreme Court anytime soon. Talks of a Full Court session is also doing the rounds as a measure to solve the issues raised by the four senior-most judges in a press briefing on Friday. Multiple legal experts, including formed SC judges, have told News18 that a Full Court would be an ‘ideal setting’ to seek wider consensus on administrative reforms in higher judiciary.

RECAP | Justice Chelameswar, who presided over the extraordinary press conference at his residence on Friday along with Justices Ranjan Gogoi, Madan B Lokur and Kurian Joseph, made some startling statements. He said, "This is extraordinary in the history of the nation. It is an extraordinary event in the history of the Constitution... The administration of the Supreme Court is not in order and many things less than desirable happened in last few months... We are left with no choice but communicate to nation directly."

Attorney General KK Venugopal has confirmed the development that the rift in the highest judicial body is "being resolved". Earlier on Friday, soon after the four Supreme Court judges alleged that the administration of the top court is “not in order” and many "things less than desirable" have happened in last few months, CJI Dipak Misra met Venugopal to discuss the matter. Venugopal had later said that the crisis would be solved soon.

SOLUTION SOON | Three days after four senior-most Supreme Court judges addressed the media on Friday, something that has never been seen in the history of Indian judiciary so far, the judiciary crisis is likely to be resolved soon. According to sources, the judges met on Monday morning around 10.15 am for tea. Issues raised by the four  dissenting judges — Justices J Chelameswar, Ranjan Gogoi, Madan B Lokur and Kurian Joseph — were discussed in this meeting. The judges reached a consensus that the issues need to be resolved institutionally.