SUPREME COURT JUDGES TAKE FIRST STEPS TOWARDS TRUCE

NEW DELHI: A group of Supreme Court judges is brokering peace between Chief Justice of India (CJI) Dipak Misra and his four senior colleagues, Justices Jasti Chelameswar, Ranjan Gogoi, MB Lokur and Kurian Joseph (the second, third, fourth, and fifth most senior respectively).

A resolution, and some administrative changes in the Supreme Court that addresses the grievances of the four judges, are imminent, said a person familiar with the matter who asked not to be identified.

On Tuesday, CJI Misra met in his chambers the four judges who had aired grievances against him in a press conference last week. Arjan Kumar Sikri, the sixth senior-most judge in the court, and two other judges were also present during the meeting. The meeting, which started at 10.10 am, lasted for around 15 minutes before the judges took up their work for their day, added the person.

The five judges will meet again on Wednesday, this person said. Sikri, who is not seen as part of the problem by either the CJI or the four judges, is believed to be the man who prevailed on the CJI to break the deadlock.

The role of Justice Sikri and the other mediating judges is crucial because after Friday’s press conference by the four judges, both sides dug in their heels. The CJI was of the opinion that the four judges had breached judicial discipline by going public with affairs of the court.