Air views on developments in judiciary: Chelameswar

Justice Jasti Chelameswar, Supreme Court judge, on Saturday wanted people to come out with their considered views on the developments in the judiciary.

Such discussion would lead to something good, he said at a programme organised to felicitate veteran journalist A.B.K. Prasad here.

Justice Chelameswar said a former Supreme Court judge phoned and lauded him in the backdrop of the developments during the past six or seven months.

“But I told him to share it with others if he sincerely believed that I am right but not to tell me,” he said. If anybody pointed how he was wrong he would correct himself, he said.

People, including Chief Ministers and Union Ministers, seem to have lot of time to give views on the film ‘Padmaavat’ but during the last one year very few spoke on judiciary. Lack of discussion was dangerous in democracy, he opined.

Political parties seemed to believe that holding elections for five years was democracy though it was an important part.

In the “first-past-the-post” system, the parties that got into power with a maximum of 36 to 37% votes seemed to think nobody should differ with them, he said recalling after the judges’ press conference words like “anarchist” and “urban naxalite” were used.

Justice Chelameswar was among the four senior judges of the apex court who held a press conference to air differences over the assignment of cases. A few days ago, he wrote a letter to the Chief Justice on the enquiry by the Karnataka High Court Chief Justice into the Collegium’s decision on elevation of a judge to the High Court.

On the role of Parliament, the judiciary and the media, he said they should try to bring the maximum number of healthy changes and if democratic functioning was not more robust it would lead to a dangerous situation.

Award presented

Justice Chelameswar presented the Lifetime Achievement Award of Writers’ Academy and ₹1 lakh cheque to Mr. Prasad, who completed 62 years in journalism.

In his address, Mr. Prasad wanted the civil society to be more vigilant in safeguarding secularism, unbridled flow of foreign investments and promoting self-reliance in industries, among other things.

The myth government was Constitution must be driven away, he said.

Central Information Commissioner Madhabhusi Sridhar spoke on how Mr. Prasad encouraged investigative journalism and took lead on issues like women’s rights. Senior journalist K. Ramachandra Murthy described him as the editor’s editor.

Chairman of the Lok Nayak Foundation and former MP Yarlagadda Lakshmi Prasad lauded the role of Mr. Prasad in strengthening journalistic values.

Writers’ Academy Chairman V.V. Ramana Murthy, who presided, recalled his working in publications led by Mr. Prasad.