Justice Chelameswar says "does not regret addressing that press conference"

Bengaluru: Justice (Retd.) Jasti Chelameswar has made a response to the Bar Council of India’s (BCI) recent criticism of the retired judge for 'the damage' to the institution of Supreme Court and for having "acted against the post he had held."

In an interview given to Deccan Herald, the former Supreme Court judge snubbed the BCI saying that the regulatory body could not even get the spelling of his name correct, and such people go on to become judges in the future.

“The BCI, in its press release, could not even spell my name properly. Some of them will one day become judges.”

In the statement issued on June 24, the BCI had condemned Justice Chelameswar for having made “controversial” and “irrelevant” statements during his tenure and after his retirement.

Among other complaints, the BCI had taken a stand against the January press conference held by Justice Chelameswar and the three other senior-most judges of the Supreme Court

While criticising Chelameswar for his recent acts, the BCI had also claimed that “99.9 of the legal fraternity” had seen through the “ulterior motive” of persons who had sought to "bring disrepute to the judiciary."

When the matter was brought up in the interview Justice Chelameswar, said: “How can they say that the whole legal community is behind the BCI? I know many people who say that what I have done is right. Even Mahatma Gandhi was never backed by all the people of the country. Many might have respected him personally, but they opposed him politically. I don’t see any logic in those words. I leave it to their (BCI’s) wisdom.”

When asked about his reaction about the unprecedented press conference by him and 3 other judges on 12 January, Chelameswar said: "I have said several times and I repeat that I don’t regret addressing that press conference. I am not a child and I don’t act on impulse."

On being asked whether he would make a counter statement against the BCI, Justice Chelameswar responded,

“I really don’t have time to react to every person. They even alleged that I had alleged ‘bench fixing’ in an interview with a television news channel. It was the person interviewing me who said that. I only replied to that. I told him that we really don’t have to go to the extent of calling it that, but yes, the situation is certainly of concern. But if the BCI attributes to me words I didn’t say, there is nothing I can do about that.”