Attempts to make judiciary dumb and deaf: Uddhav Thackeray

Mumbai: Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray on Saturday called the Supreme Court judges’ press conference as “very shocking”. He alleged that attempts are being made to make the judiciary “dumb and deaf”. The government should not interfere in the functioning of the judiciary, the Sena chief said.

Hailing the four judges who expressed their reservation on certain issues in the judiciary, Mr Thackeray said that they might have to face some action. “But the action should not be biased,” he told reporters at Sena Bhavan.

Taking a dig at BJP, Mr Thackeray said that winning polls does not mean running the government. “The common people are asking whether one should trust judiciary or not. There are attempts to make the judiciary dumb and deaf. But the government should not take the judiciary for granted,” he said.

Mr Thackeray demanded that an inquiry should be conducted in the death of CBI judge Loya who was handling the Soharabuddin encounter case. “If things are clear then there should not be any fear. An inquiry should be conducted into the matter,” he said.

The Sena chief questioned the President’s Sunday visit to Mumbai to a Vipashyana centre in suburban Gorai. “Why is the President coming to the Mumbai? What is the programme?” he asked.

The four senior-most SC judges — Justices J Chelameswar, Ranjan Gogoi, M.B. Lokur and Kurian Joseph — had on Friday said that the situation in the top court was “not in order” and many “less than desirable” things have taken place.

“Unless this institution is preserved, democracy will not survive in this country,” they had said. Justice Chelameswar, the second senior judge after Chief Justice of India (CJI) Dipak Misra had said, “sometimes administration of the Supreme Court is not in order, and many things which are less than desirable have happened in the last few months”. He said the four judges had written a letter to the CJI some time back, raising important issues facing the apex court judiciary.