New Delhi, Jan 15: Chief Justice Dipak Misra met the four dissenting judges on Monday to resolve issues that they raised during an unprecedented press conference on Friday (January 12). According to reports, CJI Misra met the four judges Jasti Chelameswar, Ranjan Gogoi, Madan Lokur and Kurien Joseph. Court staff was asked to leave the lounge in the Supreme Court where the justices reportedly met and discussed the crisis.
Reports in the media claimed that the four judges openly discussed their grievances with the CJI. CJI Misra also met Justice Chelameswar separately, reports said. However, no confirmation was available regarding the development.
Addressing reporters, Manan Mishra, Chairman, Bar Council of India, described the crisis as an “internal issue” which has been resolved.
“As you can see that the matter has been laid to rest and all courts rooms in the Supreme Court are functioning normally. It was an internal issue and has now been resolved,” Mishra said.
Earlier, PTI reported that the four judges attended their routine work in the Supreme Court putting to rest all speculations surrounding them boycotting work in protest.
Attorney General KK Venugopal has also claimed the criris in the apex court has been resolved. (Who is Justice Chelameswar, Justice Gogoi, Justice Lokur, Justice Joseph)
Revolt in Supreme Court
Warning that democracy is at stake, four senior judges of the Supreme Court on Friday mounted a virtual revolt against the country’s chief justice, raising questions on “selective” case allocation and certain judicial orders, sending shockwaves across the judiciary and polity.
The unprecedented move by the four judges including Justice J Chelameswar, the second senior judge after Chief Justice Dipak Misra, brought to fore the simmering differences between the country’s top judge and some senior judges in the apex court in recent months. The apex court currently has 25 judges. (Four Senior-Most Supreme Court Judges’ Letter to CJI Dipak Misra: Full Text)
Justice Chelameswar himself described as an “extraordinary event” in the annals of the Indian judiciary when the judges addressed a joint news conference during which he said “sometimes administration of the Supreme Court is not in order and many things which are less than desirable have happened in the last few months.”