Senior advocate's letter to CJI: BCI chairman says attempt to create 'undue influence'
New Delhi, Dec 10: Bar Council of India (BCI) Chairman Manan Kumar Mishra has written to Chief Justice of India D Y Chandrachud voicing concerns about a recent open letter from a senior lawyer to the CJI over the listing of sensitive cases pending before the Supreme Court and said this was an attempt to create "undue influence" and get "favourable" decisions.
On December 6, senior advocate Dushyant Dave wrote an open letter addressed to the CJI, expressing anguish over "certain happenings" related to the listing of cases and their reallocation to other benches of the apex court and sought immediate corrective measures.
Without naming Dave, the BCI chairman said attempts made through such letters clearly amount to contemptuous conduct and a mischief perpetrated to further ulterior motives and must be tackled with iron hands.
"The letter in question is not an isolated incident, rather is a classic ploy from the handbook which has been tried time and again before almost every Chief Justice of India in the recent past. Such letters are an extra-judicial mechanism of creating undue influence and pressure in the functioning of the independent judicial system....
"The claims made in the letter are in order to attract cheap publicity without an iota of truth and is completely devoid of any bona-fide purpose," Mishra wrote in his letter to the CJI.
He alleged that the purpose behind such letters is to put pressure on the judiciary for getting "favourable decisions for their influential clients and interests. Such letters have now become a regular feature almost to the point of staleness and must, therefore, be summarily rejected by Your Lordships".
"It is our belief that such letters represent no part of the common members of the Bar practising before the courts and the entire Bar stands firmly behind the leadership and the direction of the Hon'ble Chief Justice of India. The tireless efforts of our Chief Justice of India today towards access to justice, towards protecting the interest of young and common advocates and towards rationalising the administration of justice have already started yielding the result," he wrote.
Mishra requested the CJI to stamp out the "nuisance" that these letters seek to create and set a lasting precedent against such attempts.
"The council stands firmly with Your Lordships and requests Your Lordship and the judiciary to stand in one voice against such attempts, which have clearly been made with ulterior motives. Unity is strength and, therefore, on behalf of the entire legal fraternity, the Bar Council expresses its full support to our dynamic, most deserving/competent, bold and impartial Chief Justice of India, Hon'ble Dr D Y Chandrachud. The Bar fully stands with our beloved Chief Justice of India," he said.
A day before Dave's letter, Supreme Court judge Sanjay Kishan Kaul had expressed surprise when some lawyers, including Prashant Bhushan, alleged a sudden deletion from court number two's cause list pleas related to the Centre's alleged delay in acting on the collegium's recommendations on elevation and transfer of high court judges.
In his letter to the CJI, Dave, a former Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) president, had said he was deeply anguished at certain happenings related to the listing of cases by the apex court registry.
He had added that some cases were sensitive in nature involving "human rights, freedom of speech, democracy and the functioning of statutory and constitutional institutions".
Dave had expressed regret that he had to write the open letter as the efforts of some lawyers to meet the CJI personally did not yield any result.
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Deepika Kumari leads Indian recurve archery team to dramatic World Cup gold
Shanghai (PTI): The Indian trio of Deepika Kumari, Ankita Bhakat and teenager Kumkum Mohod held their nerve in a tense shoot-off to beat home favourites China and clinch the women's recurve team gold medal at the Archery World Cup Stage 2 here on Sunday.
In a final marked by fluctuating fortunes, India edged past the home side 5-4 (28-26) in the shoot-off after the four-set regulation ended 4-4.
The victory was especially sweeter as India had earlier stunned record 10-time Olympic champions South Korea in the semifinals en route to their first World Cup women's team gold since 2021.
Deepika, who was also part of India's World Cup-winning teams in Guatemala City and Paris in 2021, now has seven World Cup team gold medals to her name since 2010.
It was also the Indian women recurve team's first World Cup medal in three years, its previous podium finish coming in Stage 4 in Paris in 2023 where Ankita was a member of the winning team.
India's campaign in Shanghai has thus already yielded two medals after compound archer Sahil Jadhav opened the country's account, securing a bronze on Saturday.
India also remained in contention for another podium finish later in the day with recurve archer Simranjeet Kaur set to compete in the semifinals. She is a win away from her maiden individual World Cup medal.
Travelling without a full-time national coach amid the continuing impasse over appointments, it was the vastly experienced Deepika who led from the front, constantly motivating her teammates during breaks and changeovers.
Prafull Dange, who was the designated women's recurve coach after his ward Kumkum topped the national trials, largely remained in the background as Deepika guided the side through the pressure moments against a hostile home crowd and vocal Chinese support staff.
Against a young Chinese side comprising Zhu Jingyi, Huang Yuwei and teenage archer Yu Qi, who all made their World Cup debuts only last year, India looked in control initially but nearly let the match slip after taking the opening set (54-53).
Shooting last in the Indian order, Deepika set the tone with successive 10s as India edged the first set despite Ankita (8-8) and 17-year-old Kumkum (10-8) putting up an inconsistent show.
Deepika continued her fine rhythm in the second set with another perfect 10 as India briefly held a one-point advantage (28-27) midway through the end. But China responded strongly with two 9s and a 10 in their final three arrows of the second set to post 55.
Ankita replied with a 9, but Kumkum managed only an 8, leaving Deepika needing a 10 to level the set.
The four-time Olympian, however, slipped to a 7 as India lost the set 52-55 and China drew level at 2-2.
The hosts then moved ahead in the third set. The teams were initially tied at 56, but a review upgraded China's final arrow from 8 to 9, handing them the set 57-56 and a 4-2 lead.
India appeared on the verge of defeat in the fourth set despite Deepika rediscovering her touch with two 10s. Kumkum's final arrow landed in the 7-ring as India posted a modest 54.
China required two 10s and a 9 from their last three arrows to seal the match.
Zhu and Huang delivered perfect 10s, leaving 18-year-old Yu Qi needing a 9 for victory in front of the home crowd.
But the youngster shot an 8, allowing India a dramatic escape and forcing a shoot-off.
The Indians peaked at the right moment in the decider. Ankita opened with a 9, Kumkum followed with a superb 10, and Deepika calmly delivered a 9 when only an 8 was needed to seal the title.
