Allahabad HC’s 1975 verdict on Indira was judgment of great courage: CJI
Chief Justice of India NV Ramana advocates better infrastructure for judiciary
PRAYAGRAJ : Chief Justice of India (CJI) NV Ramana on Saturday said the 1975 verdict of Justice Jagmohanlal Sinha of the Allahabad high court disqualifying the then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi on charges of electoral malpractices was a judgment of “great courage” that “shook” the nation, leading to the imposition of Emergency. The CJI said that the Allahabad High Court has a history of more than 150 years and its Bar and Bench have produced some of the greatest legal luminaries in the country.
PRAYAGRAJ: Chief Justice of India (CJI) NV Ramana on Saturday said the 1975 verdict of Justice Jagmohanlal Sinha of the Allahabad high court disqualifying the then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi on charges of electoral malpractices was a judgment of “great courage” that “shook” the nation, leading to the imposition of Emergency.
Justice Ramana was speaking in Prayagraj where he, along with President Ram Nath Kovind, took part in programmes, including the foundation stone-laying ceremony of the Uttar Pradesh National Law University and a new building complex of the Allahabad high court. He recalled the rich traditions and contributions of one of the oldest high courts in the country.
“In 1975, it was Justice Jagmohanlal Sinha from the Allahabad high court who passed the judgment that shook the nation, when he disqualified Smt. Indira Gandhi. It was a judgment of great courage, which could be said to have directly resulted in the declaration of Emergency. The consequences of which I do not want to elaborate now,” Justice Ramana said.
The CJI said that the Allahabad High Court has a history of more than 150 years and its Bar and Bench have produced some of the greatest legal luminaries in the country.
The June 12, 1975, verdict delivered by Justice Jagmohanlal Sinha had convicted the then prime minister of electoral malpractices and debarred her from holding any elected post under the Representation of the People Act. The verdict is widely believed to have led to imposition of Emergency on June 25, 1975. Indira Gandhi had won the 1971 Lok Sabha election from the Rae Bareli seat in Uttar Pradesh by defeating her opponent Raj Narain.
Raj Nairain had challenged her election alleging electoral malpractices, saying that Gandhi’s election agent Yashpal Kapoor was a government servant and that she used government officials for personal election related work.
Meanwhile, the Chief Justice of India highlighted the poor state of judicial infrastructure in the country and further remarked, “Courts in India still operate from dilapidated structures, without proper facilities. Such a situation is severely detrimental to the experience of litigants and lawyers. It is an unpleasant work environment for court staff and judges, making it difficult to effectively perform their functions. We neglected and failed to focus on providing good infrastructure for court in India after the British left.” CJI advocated better infrastructure for judiciary and asked Justice Munishwar Nath Bhandari, acting Chief Justice of the Allahabad high court, to conduct more Lok Adalats on matrimonial issues.
He mentioned that a comprehensive proposal for the establishment of the National Judicial Infrastructure Corporation is under preparation in order to strengthen judicial infrastructure.