BCI chief depcrecates imputing motives to SC by lawyers and judges

Bar Council of India Chairman Manan Kumar Mishra on Saturday deprecated a move by some senior advocates and former judges to impute "derogatory and defamatory allegations" against the Supreme Court of India.

"The sustained and synchronized attack on the Supreme Court by some senior advocates and former judges is a conspiracy to weaken and browbeat the institution. Never before in the history of the country has such a concerted attack by some disgruntled members of the bar and some unhappy and disappointed former judges has been witnessed," a statement issued by Mishra said.

He said some people were using social media, electronic and print media to castigate and scandalize judiciary by imputing baseless motives on the Supreme Court judges.

"They are in virtual competition with each other in hurling choicest of derogatory and indecent words to denigrate the Supreme Court. They know that Supreme Court Judges are under compulsion to remain within the Lakshman Rekha and are unable to come out to defend themselves," he said.

Mishra maintained that it is the duty of the Bar to protect the Institution and to ensure that no unscrupulous attack succeeded in weakening our Judiciary.

"It is painful to see that only a few days after two advocates made unfair and unhealthy remarks against our apex court, Justice Madan B Lokur, a former judge of Supreme Court has also joined this bandwagon fully knowing that such idle talk lead to undermine the authority of judiciary as a whole," he said.

Some senior advocate and a few former judges have criticised the top court in failing to question the executive in improving the lot of migrant workers, facing distress situation after the nationwide lockdown was imposed since March 25 to contain the spread of Covid-19.

"This is more reprehensible because the Supreme Court is currently seized of the issues of migrant workers. The kind of brazen attack these purported intellectuals are making is nothing but an attempt to influence the Supreme Court to toe a particular line in this matter which would fulfill their agenda to defame the government which is grappling to ameliorate the sufferings of common man," he said.

Mishra said the indulgence of former judges was really very unfortunate.

"What the people have started to believe is that some former chief justices of High Courts or some former judges of Supreme Court, who could not get a suitable berth after their superannuation, become disgruntled and start going in media and malign the system of which they were an integral part for a quite long period. Such people should join politics and go in public directly and face the common mass of this country. The people will deal with them properly," he said.