Criticism of govt not unpatriotic or ‘anti-India: over 300 lawyers in letter to Kiren Rijiju for ‘anti-India gang’ remarks

More than 300 lawyers of the Supreme Court and high courts have written an open letter to Union law minister Kiren Rijiju slamming his recent remark that some retired judges are ‘part of an anti-India gang’ and demanding the Minister to withdraw his comments.

“We, the undersigned lawyers practising in diverse courts around the nation, deprecate the unwarranted attack launched against retired judges of the Supreme Court of India by Union Law Minister Shri Kiren Rijiju, at a conclave telecast live by a media house”, the letter reads.

“The allegations of anti-nationalism against people who have dedicated their lives to upholding the rule of law, and the naked threat of reprisals against them, marks a new low in the public discourse of our great nation,” says the letter.

The letter referred to Rijiju's statement at the India Today Conclave in New Delhi on March 18 where he had said that there were “three or four” retired judges who are part of an “anti-India” gang, adding that anybody who has worked against the country “will have to pay a price”.

He spoke about a seminar in which judges and senior advocates participated. “The topic of the seminar was ‘Accountability in Judges Appointment’ but the discussion [the] whole day was how [the] government is taking over the Indian judiciary,” he continued.

“Recently, there was a seminar on the accountability of judges. But somehow the entire seminar became about how the executive is affecting the judiciary. It is a few of the retired judges - maybe three or four - a few of those activists, part of the anti-India gang. These people are trying to make the Indian judiciary play the role of the opposition party. How can these people openly say the Indian judiciary (should) take the government head on?” Rijiju had said.

“Agencies will take action as per the provisions of law. Nobody will escape. Those who have worked against the country will have to pay a price for that”, he said.

“By bracketing the critics, that too without naming them, as an ‘anti-India gang’, the minister has transgressed all limits of constitutional propriety by claiming that the members of this ‘anti-India gang’ wanted to “make the judiciary play the role of the opposition”, The letter written by the lawyers said, reports TheWire.

It further said, “He pointedly threatened these retired Supreme Court judges that “no one will escape” and “those who work against the country will pay the price.” “By threatening retired judges, the law minister is clearly sending a message to every citizen, that no voice of dissent will be spared.”

Among the 323 signatories include senior advocates Kapil Sibal, Abhishek Manu Singhvi, Arvind Datar, Iqbal Chagla, Janak Dwarakadas, Sri Hari Aney, Raju Ramachandran, Dushyant Dave, Indira Jaising, Rajshekhar Rao, and Sanjay Singhvi.

“Rijiju is sworn to uphold and bear true allegiance to the Constitution and as a minister of law and justice. It is his duty to protect the judicial system, the judiciary, and the judges, both past and present," the letter read.

We condemn these remarks in unambiguous terms. Such hectoring and bullying are unbecoming of the high office held by the minister. We may remind the minister that criticism of the government is neither against the nation, nor unpatriotic, nor ‘anti-India’. He must remember that the government of the day is not the nation, and the nation is not the government”, it said.