Solicitor General Tushar Mehta has refused consent to a lawyer to initiate contempt action against former apex court judge, Justice Markandey Katju, for his comments about the top court while deposing before a court in the U.K. in the Nirav Modi extradition case.
“I deem it inappropriate and inexpedient to dwell much into the issues arising from the expressions used and perceptions projected by Justice Katju (retired) as he did so while giving his deposition as a witness before a court of law,” Mr. Mehta wrote to advocate Alakh Alok Srivastava in his letter on August 13.
The top law officer however underscored that the judiciary is Constitutionally and functionally independent of the Executive, and guarantees “free, fair, neutral, transparent and effective judicial proceedings strictly in accordance with the law and the Constitution”.
Attorney General K.K. Venugopal had refused to entertain Mr. Srivastava's plea for permission to initiate contempt earlier in March. In his March 30 letter, Mr. Venugopal had written that he has “known Justice Katju for the last about 16 years and we have been interacting with each other ever since. In this background it is not appropriate that I deal with the matter.”
Mr. Venugopal had then advised the lawyer to approach the Solicitor General.
