Rajasthan CM Ashok Gehlot apologises for ‘corruption in judiciary’ remark

On third October Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot submitted an unreserved apology to the Rajasthan High Court in response to a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) that sought to provoke felony proceedings in opposition to him for feedback in regards to the judiciary. He defended himself and cited his legislation diploma in addition to claimed distortion of his assertion by information reviews. The apology got here after a month-long controversy that was began by his accusations on the authorized system.

The Congressman alleged that he had by no means encountered any type of judicial corruption. However, he emphasised that different Supreme Court and excessive courtroom judges have not too long ago voiced their issues about attainable impropriety. “I was only expressing similar concerns but my statements were distorted and misconstrued in the news report.” 

According to the affidavit, Ashok Gehlot has been studying statements made about judicial corruption by quite a few former Supreme Court justices. It nodded that the public members who met with him to debate their complaints additionally introduced up “corrupt practices” within the judiciary.

He requested that the PIL ought to be dismissed and urged the courtroom to just accept his apology. The bench of Justices M M Shrivastava and Praveer Bhatnagar set the matter to be heard by the High Court once more on 7 November. 

An advocate named Shiv Charan Gupta submitted the PIL on thirty first August and charged that the feedback tantamount to “wilful scandalising and lowering the image of the judiciary.” A High Court division bench heard the identical on 2nd September and requested the chief minister for a response.

Lawyer Prateek Kasliwal who appeared for the Congress chief learn from his reply. “He has the utmost regard for the majesty of law and the judiciary. If the high court feels that by the statement he has in any manner attempted to lower the respect or dignity of the judiciary in the minds of the public, he tenders his unconditional apology.”

He additional continued, “As an alumnus of Jodhpur University with a law degree in 1976, he has closely engaged with the legal profession earlier,” and talked about that the chief minister “has been reading about corruption in the judiciary by many former judges of the Supreme Court.”

The lawyer expressed, “The statement by him reflects concern shown by those who held higher positions in the judiciary. Also, in his tweet on August 31, he clarified his stand and said he had high regard for the judiciary.”

He echoed the assertions of the Congress stalwart that his views had been “distorted and misconstrued” by the newspaper. He noticed, “I have always believed that people have faith in the judiciary as whenever any untoward incident takes place, people demand a judicial enquiry. We have prayed that the reply be accepted and the PIL be dismissed.”

“This has greatly anguished the respondent,” proclaimed the counsel. The Congress chief’s rejoinder additionally included just a few items that had been earlier printed in regards to the judiciary.

Ashok Gehlot’s Comments on Judiciary

The veteran politician’s utterances on 30 August had angered the authorized group. He had charged that some judges had been handing down selections that had been written by solicitors. “Corruption is rampant in the judiciary today. I have heard that some lawyers themselves take the judgement in writing and the same judgement is pronounced,” he highlighted whereas speaking to the media.

His condemnation triggered a fierce protest from legal professionals of the excessive courtroom and Jodhpur decrease courts participated in a day-long walkout in protest of the assertion. Furthermore, a public curiosity lawsuit was initiated in opposition to him to pursue contempt costs.

He needed to elucidate his criticism in response to the PIL which was scheduled for a listening to on 5 September. He backtracked and clarified that his feedback about judicial corruption “were not his personal opinion”. He then careworn that he has at all times revered and trusted the judiciary.