New Delhi, August 19
Former Chief Justice of India (CJI) J. S. Verma, who has remained the focus of attention, be it due to his bold initiative as NHRC Chairman on the Gujarat riots or forcing the CBI to probe the Jain-Hawala case against top politicians, has now emphasised the need for "cleansing" the judiciary.
The moral standards in the judiciary "are certainly declining" and judges should be made accountable by applying the "most stringent yardstick," said Justice Verma in an interview to the BBC's Hardtalk programme.
"Sweeping the dirt under the carpet shows the bulge. It is better to clean it and the judges must answer (to) and be accountable by the most stringent yardstick, because it is they who control the functioning of others, and therefore they must answer (to) or be judged by a yardstick at least as strict as they apply to everyone else," he said.
He said the CJI should have the ability to admonish, punish and even suspend errant judges. During the Gujarat riots, as NHRC chief, he had personally visited the state to assess the situation.
On the implied ills in the judiciary, he said: "Well, I am not one who will run away from facts. The public perception... people may not say it but what they talk in private, which I hear more now... disturbs me very much."
