New Delhi: Justice Abhijeet Ganguly of Calcutta HC made a swipe to judges resigned in elections to take government posts last year, or after retirement, CJI BR Gawai said that such decisions could raise “important moral concerns” and reduce public trust in the integrity of the judiciary.Giving a lecture at a round table held by the UK Supreme Court on Tuesday, CJI Gavai said, “If a judge makes another appointment with the government immediately after retirement, or resigns from the bench to contest elections, it raises important moral concerns and invites public investigation.“A judge contesting elections for a political office may have doubts about the independence and fairness of the judiciary, as it can be seen as an attempt to gain a favor with the government or an attempt to gain a favor with the government.”He said, “The time of retirement busyness can reduce public confidence in the integrity of the judiciary, as it could create an assumption that the judicial decisions were affected by the appointments of the future government or the possibility of political participation.”Flaging this tradition of judges, accepting the subsequent assignments from the government, which is old as an institution, Justice Gawai said, “In its light, in its light, many of my colleagues and I have promised the government not to accept any post-retirement roles.The first SC Judge to accept the governorship was Justice S Fazal Ali, whose appointment was announced by the Nehru government in 1952 when he was still a Supreme Court Judge. Justice Ganguly’s politics was dramatic soon after resigning from Calcutta HC and contesting on BJP ticket as he had judicially cast the TMC government in many cases.
