It is not often that a judge publicly offers explanations over his conduct and verdicts but a judge of the Kerala High Court, irked by the personal attacks against him by Congress leaders over some observations he made (against Chief Minister Oommen Chandy’s office) in a judgement, has publicly blasted his critics and justified his personal meeting with a Marxist leader.
“I am ready to face any probe over my meeting with Kodiyeri Balakrishnan (CPI(M)’s Politburo member). let there be a CBI probe. Also, I am ready to stay away from my position while such an investigation is on,” High Court judge Justice Haroon Al Rashid said while inaugurating a programme of the court’s Mediation Cell in Kochi on Saturday.
Several Congress leaders, including a Minister, had unleashed direct personal attacks against the judge, who on March 28 ordered a CBI probe into the fraudulent land deals of Chandy’s former gunman Salim Raj, for making some serious observations on the functioning of the Chief Minister’s office in his verdict.
Congress’s Cultural Affairs Minister KC Joseph attacked Justice Rashid saying “judges need not make comments on everything under the sky while Congress MlA TN Prathapan lodged a written complaint with the Chief Justice of India saying that he had given a political tool to the Opposition to attack the ruling UDF in the ongoing election campaign. “They are complaining about the timing of the verdict. What am I supposed to doIJ Should I write the verdict and keep it in my pocket till the election is overIJ How does election matter to a judgeIJ Efforts are on to humiliate judges whose job is to deliver justice. Kerala is trapped under rotten politics. I am a victim of that,” he said.
“Somebody said there was some “spelling mistake” in my meeting with Kodiyeri. Some others are saying that I should be impeached. let all those efforts continue,” he said. It was Government Chief Whip PC George who saw “spelling mistake” in Rashid’s meeting with Kodiyeri. Senior Congress leader Rajmohan Unnithan had demanded his impeachment.