Uddhav backs collegium, says judiciary facing govt pressure

Shiv Sena leader Uddhav Thackeray on Saturday backed the collegium system of appointment of judges to the higher judiciary and accused the BJP government at the Centre of "pressurising the judiciary".

Thackeray, who was addressing a literary meet in Aurangabad, said the country should resist attempts by the BJP in appointing judges.

There are questions on whether there is any democracy remaining in the country, he said. "The judiciary is one of the important pillars of democracy, but the government wants to appropriate this too ... They want the powers to appoint the judges too, then what would remain in the country, he said," while asking the government sarcastically to scrap the judicial system.

He added: "If the Prime Minister is going to appoint the judges, then why do the drama of appointing judges ... let it be a rule that what the Prime Minister says will be law. This cannot be (allowed) in a democracy," the former Maharashtra chief minister said.