CJI hearing own case is "legally, morally" wrong: Santosh Hegde
Hyderabad: Former Supreme Court Judge N Santosh Hegde said Tuesday Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi hearing a case involving sexual harassment allegations against him was "wholly wrong both in law and morality".
He, however, said he does not want to comment on the allegations levelled against the CJI by a former Supreme Court employee as he does not know their "correctness or otherwise."
"What the Chief Justice of India did was wholly wrong both in law and morality," Hegde, who had also served as Solicitor General of India and Advocate General of Karnataka, told PTI.
".... the matter was being heard on a complaint filed by one of the parties... he (the CJI) presided over the bench, and look at the things he has done...he has nowhere in the records put that he is part of the bench.
He (the CJI) has participated in the dialogue there, he has not signed the order, two other judges have signed the order. What's the meaning of this?" he asked.
The former Karnataka Lokayukta said, "First of all, he could not have sat there.. what message is he sending? As Chief Justice of India can he sit in the bench and hear his own case? It's wholly wrong both legally and morally."
Describing the allegations against him as "unbelievable", the CJI convened an extraordinary hearing at the Supreme Court on April 20 and said that a larger conspiracy was behind it and he would not stoop so low as to even deny the charges.
The apex court, which held the hearing for around 30 minutes, said independence of judiciary was under "very serious threat" and "unscrupulous allegations" of sexual harassment have been levelled against the CJI as some "bigger force" wanted to "deactivate" the office of the CJI.
Besides the CJI, the bench, also comprising Justices Arun Mishra and Sanjiv Khanna, hinted towards a "bigger force" behind the controversy which has the potential to shake the faith of the public in the judicial system.
Though the CJI was heading the bench, he left it to Justice Mishra to take a call on passing a judicial order.
Dictating the order, Justice Mishra said, "Having considered the matter, we refrain from passing any judicial order at this moment, leaving it to the wisdom of the media to show restraint, act responsibly as is expected from them and accordingly decide what should or should not be published, as wild and scandalous allegations undermine and irreparably damage reputation and negate independence of judiciary.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Karnataka to host Nobel laureates at Quantum India Bengaluru summit
Bengaluru (PTI): Karnataka Science and Technology Minister N S Boseraju on Tuesday said the state is set to witness a historic moment in India’s scientific journey as the state government is all set to host Nobel laureates Duncan Haldane and David Gross for an exclusive dialogue on July 30.
The interaction precedes the nation’s first-ever Quantum India Bengaluru Summit, scheduled on July 31 and August 1, officials said.
“Under the visionary leadership of Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar, our government is laying the groundwork to position Karnataka as India’s Quantum Capital. This dialogue with Nobel Laureates marks the beginning of a long-term roadmap to integrate quantum innovation into Karnataka’s development blueprint,” the Minister said in a statement.
With Bengaluru already recognised as the nation’s innovation nucleus, Karnataka is accelerating efforts to harness quantum technologies for economic and social transformation.
From IT and aerospace to cutting-edge quantum frontiers, the state aims to strengthen its position on the global innovation map, he added.
According to him, the dialogue will facilitate high-level discussions between the Nobel Laureates and Karnataka’s top officials, including the Principal Secretaries of Industries, IT and BT, and Higher Education. The exchange is expected to pave the way for advancing quantum research, infrastructure, and collaborations with global experts.
"The presence of Nobel Laureates at the Quantum India Bengaluru Summit underscores the international significance of the event, which will bring together global and national leaders in quantum science, placing Karnataka at the epicenter of India’s quantum revolution," he added.
