Bar Council of India lashes out at retired Supreme Court judge J Chelameswar
The Press release consistently misspells his name
The following is the full text of a press release issued by the Bar Council of India two days after the retirement of now-former Supreme Court judge Justice J Chelameswar. Besides slamming the former judge for interviews given to the media, the press release also condemns him for the damage done to the Supreme Court of India by him. Further, the release consistently misspells his name throughout the press release.
The statement is being reproduced here verbatim and is not edited.
BAR COUNCIL OF INDIA
(Statutory Body Constituted under the Advocates Act, 1961) 21, Rouse Avenue Institutional Area, New Delhi - 110 002
-: Press Release :-
Self restraint by the Hon'ble judges of the highest court seems to be a forgotten virtue. They have to prevent themselves from issuing statements without giving any thought to the consequences such statements could entail., The manner in which Hon'ble Justice Chemeleshwar went to the media and gave controversial and, irrelevant statements Immediately upon retirement, was not expected of a person holding such a high post and was infact against the dignity of the post he had held. Such statements and comments are liable to be deprecated. Such statements cannot be tolerated, accepted or digested by the Advocates including the rest of the countrymen.
Justice Chemeleshwar has resorted to usage of such controversial words like" Bench fixing". Now if a handful of Lawyers of the highest court filed matter/ s and mentioned it before Justice Chemeleshwar and other chosen judges, and tried to get it listed, then that would have been "Bench fixing". Such instances have been repeated not once but on two-three occasions. Justice Chemeleshwar should have raised an objection at that point in time. But Justice Chemeleshwar did not do so and, infact accepted and agreed to hear certain matters himself which led to the beginning of a wrong practice. Had such irregular or unlawful orders been sought to be set aside by the Chief Justice or by some other judge then there would have been no harm done. Before issuing any statements relating to judges meeting politicians, Justice Chemeleshwar should himself do an self introspection.
The fact that Justice Chemeleshwar met CPI Leader and Rajya Sabha M.P. D Raja immediately after his Press Conference, clearly deciphers the mystery and the motive behind the controversial statements being issued by Justice Chemeleshwar. The amount of damage which has been done to the institution since last January, would take a long time to be repaired and rectified. However, we have full and utmost faith that the Lawyers of the country, especially the younger generation would criticise and dislike such kind of statements and do their level best to salvage and protect the dignity and decorum of the Highest Court of the Land.
For the purpose of self consolidation and for fulfilling selfish and vested interests, not only some political leaders, but some Advocates and even infact some judges have attempted to misuse and malign the institution but they have woefully failed. It is the great fortune of the country that 99.9 of the legal fraternity and the judges have seen through this ulterior motive and mindset and such people who have attempted to bring disrepute to the institution for their vested interests, have had to suffer a setback at each step. The judiciary of the land is by far the holiest and the most powerful institution and in which even today, each citizen of the country has full and unflinching faith. Any and every judge should first do a self introspection and look at himself/herself, their actions, deeds before making or issuing any statements against the judiciary and they should make concerted efforts to safeguard and maintain the dignity and decorum of the institution.
Manan Kumar Mishra Chairman
Satish A Deshmukh Vice-Chairman
Apurva Kumar Sharma Chairman, EC
T.S. Ajith Co-Chairman
Amit Rana Co-Chairman
The press statement has not been edited by Vartha Bharati and has been reproduced verbatim.
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Domestic LPG price hiked by Rs 60 per cylinder to Rs 913
New Delhi (PTI): Domestic cooking gas LPG price on Saturday was hiked by a steep Rs 60 per cylinder, the second increase in rate in less than a year, as oil companies pass on a part of the spike in global energy rates that followed the West Asia crisis.
Non-subsidised LPG - the one that common households use in kitchens - will now cost Rs 913 per 14.2-kg cylinder in Delhi as against Rs 853 previously, according to the Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) website.
Ujjwala Yojana beneficiaries - the over 10 crore poor who have got free LPG connection since 2016 - will also have to bear the same amount of price increase. They will now pay Rs 613 per 14.2 kg cylinder after accounting for a subsidy of Rs 300 per bottle they get for up to 12 refills in a year.
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The price increase, the website showed, is effective from March 7.
This is the second increase in rate in 11 months. The price was last hiked by Rs 50 in April last year.
Alongside, the price of commercial LPG - the one used by establishments such as hotels and restaurants - was increased by Rs 114.5 per 19-kg cylinder. It now costs Rs 1,883 in Delhi. This increase comes on top of Rs 28 per 19-kg cylinder raise effected on March 1.
Commercial LPG rate has risen by Rs 302.50 this year.
Industry officials said the increase follows a steep rise in global energy prices since the US and Israel attack on Iran last weekend triggered a wider military conflict in the oil and gas-rich Middle East.
The conflict has led to a near halt in tanker movement through the Strait of Hormuz -the narrow but critical sea lane between Iran and Oman used by Middle Eastern producers to export oil and gas to global markets. The disruption has sharply curtailed energy shipments from the region, triggering a spike in global oil and gas prices.
Since the conflict broke out on February 28, US crude soared 35.63 per cent for the biggest weekly gain in the history of the futures contract dating back to 1983. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) futures closed at USD 90.90 per barrel. Brent jumped about 28 per cent for its biggest weekly gain since April 2020, to settle at USD 92.69 per barrel.
Asian spot prices for liquefied natural gas (LNG) have also jumped to around USD 25.40 per million British thermal units (MMBtu) - a three-year high and more than double of last week's levels of around USD 10 per mmBtu amid fears of supply disruptions and halted exports from Qatar.
LPG markets have also tightened as shipments from key Gulf exporters face logistical disruptions, pushing international propane and butane benchmarks higher and raising concerns over supply availability for major importers such as India.
Despite Saturday's price increase, cooking gas in India is priced at the lowest when compared with neighbouring countries, industry officials said.
In Mumbai, non-subsidised LPG now costs Rs 912.50, Rs 939 in Kolkata and Rs 928.50 in Chennai, according to the IOC website.
Rates differ from state to state depending on the incidence of local sales tax or VAT.
The Strait of Hormuz is also a critical conduit for India's energy imports, with roughly half of the crude oil the country buys from overseas transiting through the narrow waterway. In addition, nearly 40 per cent of India's natural gas imports, largely in the form of LNG from Gulf suppliers like Qatar and the UAE, also pass through the strait.
For LPG, the strait is more important. India consumed 31.3 million tonne of LPG in 2024-25, of which only 12.8 million tonne were produced domestically, with the remainder imported. Of the imported quantity, 85-90 per cent come from countries like Saudi Arabia that rely on the Strait of Hormuz for transit.
The Strait has been effectively blocked following a week-old escalation in the region, after US and Israeli strikes on Iran prompted Tehran to retaliate against US bases in neighbouring countries.
To augment domestic supplies, the government on Friday invoked sparingly used emergency powers to direct oil refineries to ramp up LPG production.
