CJI defends elevating lawyer with 'political links'

New Delhi, November 16

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Maintaining that espousing a political cause did not disable a lawyer from judgeship, Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud has defended the elevation of advocate L Victoria Gowri as a judge of the Madras High Court in February this year.

Questions were raised over Justice Gowri’s appointment for her alleged affiliation to the BJP and certain remarks against minority communities while she was a lawyer.

“Lawyers across their careers appear for a cross-section of clients. Lawyers don’t choose their clients. In fact, it is my firm belief that as a lawyer, you are duty-bound to appear for whoever comes to you in search of legal aid, much as a doctor has to administer medical aid to whoever comes to their clinic. You don’t presume the guilt or the lack of guilt of people who come to you,” the CJI said in response to a question at the Centre for Legal Profession, Harvard Law School last month.

“One of our greatest judges, Justice Krishna Iyer, who came out with some of the finest judgments, had a political background,” the CJI said.

CJI Chandrachud was asked as to why the Collegium was not able to withdraw the recommendation for advocate Gowri’s elevation to the Bench.