Justice J Chelameswar is a judge on the Supreme Court of India. He was formerly the Chief Justice of the High Court of Kerala and Gauhati High Court.
Who is judge J Chelameswar? He was one among the rest who was staunchly opposing the implementation of Aadhaar card. After Aadhar card was made compulsory, billion-dollar scams were exposed but Mr J Chelameswar wanted to restrict the influence of Aadhaar card.
A three-judge bench of the Indian Supreme Court, which included J Chelameswar, ratified an earlier order of the Supreme Court and said that no Indian citizen without an Aadhar card can be deprived of basic services and government subsidies. What is even more shocking is that J Chelameswar met the top left leader Raja.
This has given rise to a big twist. Earlier, J Chelameswar said “let the nation decide” but now he is seen meeting a top left leader who has no respect for the Indian Armed forces and Indian culture.
Earlier, Communist Party of India leader and Rajya Sabha MP D Raja’s presence at the residence of Justice J Chelameswar sparked off a controversy on Friday as it came shortly after the judge had led a revolt against CJI Dipak Misra over allocation of politically sensitive cases.
The CPI leader was caught on camera speaking to Justice Chelameswar on the patio of his bungalow, and leaving a few minutes later, after shaking hands with the judge. The seemingly ill-timed meeting led to questions over an opposition leader being hosted by Justice Chelameswar and gave the events a political hue.
However, people close to Justice Chelameswar said his acquaintance with Raja went back several years and nothing sinister should be read into the meeting. Later in the day, Supreme Court judges Justices S A Bobde and L Nageswara Rao called on Justice Chelameswar.
Dismissing allegations of impropriety, Raja said his visit to the Supreme Court judge was in a personal capacity and he had acted as a responsible parliamentarian. He said he knew Justice Chelameswar for many years, going back to his days in Tamil Nadu. Raja agreed that his visit was linked to the events of the day but said since he knew Justice Chelameswar, he had wanted to know why the SC judges had gone public.
“When I heard about this press conference, I thought I should go to him (Justice Chelameswar) and understand the reasons for his distress. The four judges have taken an extraordinary step, it shows the deep crisis in the judiciary and I think this needs to be addressed,” he said.
Raja also insisted that the charges made by the SC judges in their press conference needed to be debated in Parliament, and that a solution should be suggested by them. “I am a member of Parliament. I have known Justice Chelameswar for long. What happens in the judiciary is a matter of concern to us, when something extraordinary happens, it is a matter of concern to all of us. There is no politics in this. I represent Parliament and the people of India. I know him so I asked him,” he said.
The Left leader added that the seriousness of the issues raised by the judges demanded that Parliament intervene in the matter. “In the absence of a National Judicial Commission, when we refer to the Constitution, there is a clear division of power between the Parliament, the executive and the judiciary. We must ask why such a development should take place in the judiciary,” he said.
Raja found unexpected support from BJP MP Subramanian Swamy, who claimed the meeting was “not a big thing”, considering the CPI leader was was not just a politician but also a responsible member of Parliament.
Meanwhile, the CPM politburo said the integrity and independence of the judiciary, particularly the SC, was a “vital pillar of the Constitution and non-negotiable”. In a statement, the party said, “It is to be hoped that all such issues will be resolved keeping in mind the principles of democratic functioning and transparency regarding the highest court of the land.”
