‘Remarks by SC judge praising PM improper’

MUMBAI: The Bombay Bar Association on Thursday passed a resolution condemning senior judge of Supreme Court justice Arun Mishra for praising prime minister Narendra Modi at an international judicial conference last month. The resolution by the Bombay Bar Association comes on the heels of a similar one by the Supreme Court Bar Association. The resolution said that BBA deprecates the conduct of Justice Mishra for making “obsequious remarks “which were ‘improper and unnecessary’.

On February 22, 2020, sitting judge of the Supreme Court justice Arun Mishra attended the inaugural ceremony of the International Judicial Conference. While delivering the vote of thanks he remarked, “India is a responsible and most friendly member of the international community under the stewardship of internationally acclaimed, visionary prime minister, Shri Narendra Modi.”He added: “We thank the versatile genius who thinks globally and acts locally.”

The executive committee of the Bar Association of India and Supreme Court Bar Association also reacted to his comment on the role of the judiciary. Mishra said: “All three organs of the state have to work independently but in tandem to make the democracy successful, to visualise and for effective implementation of constitutional aspirations and its values.”

On February 25, the executive committee expressed its concern and dismay and stated that such words, “..dilute the perception of impartiality and independence and diminishes the confidence of the general public.”

The following day on February 26, the SC Bar Association, in a resolution, expressed its anguish and concern regarding the remarks by justice Mishra and strongly condemned the same

The BBA on Thursday passed a resolution which said, “This association deprecates the conduct of a sitting judge of the Supreme Court of India making such obsequious remarks about the head of the Executive, and believes that they are both improper and unnecessary... ”.