NEW DELHI : Outgoing Chief Justice of India Rajendra Mal Lodha on Friday said that appointment in higher judiciary by another body may affect independence of judiciary.On the government getting a say in the appointment of judges through the proposed Judges Accountability Bill, CJI Lodha said that judges are best equipped to judge the suitability of a person for being a judge.”There should be a cooling off period of 2 years for judges to accept any appointment,” the CJI opined.
On hi slast day in office CJI Lodha said that he was never ever put under political pressure in his 21-year-long stint as a judge.The outgoing CJI, who demits office on Saturday, is known for speaking out his mind on issues and his comments assume significance in the context of controversy over his predecessor S Sathasivam taking up the post of Kerala Governor recently.CJI Lodha on Thursday said if they do not affect the judiciaries institutional independence and integrity then there should be no worry, when asked about the view that the Judicial Accountability Bill and Judicial Appointments Commission Bill were signs of the executives trying to hobble the judiciary.
To a question on the Judicial Appointments Bill seeking to ensure that the final call won’t be taken by the judiciary, he said once a law is in place things would be different as a Commission would have to come into effect.
Earlier this month, CJI Lodha had said that India has already arrived at a stage where nobody can tinker with the independence of the judiciary, but exhorted that to strengthen the role of law, the judiciary will have to ensure that it was completely corruption-free.On the government getting a say in the appointment of judges through the proposed Judges Accountability Bill, CJI Lodha said that judges are best equipped to judge the suitability of a person for being a judge.
“There should be a cooling off period of 2 years for judges to accept any appointment,” the CJI opined.The outgoing CJI, who demits office on Saturday, is known for speaking out his mind on issues and his comments assume significance in the context of controversy over his predecessor S Sathasivam taking up the post of Kerala Governor recently.
CJI Lodha on Thursday said if they do not affect the judiciaries institutional independence and integrity then there should be no worry, when asked about the view that the Judicial Accountability Bill and Judicial Appointments Commission Bill were signs of the executives trying to hobble the judiciary.To a question on the Judicial Appointments Bill seeking to ensure that the final call won’t be taken by the judiciary, he said once a law is in place things would be different as a Commission would have to come into effect.
Earlier this month, CJI Lodha had said that India has already arrived at a stage where nobody can tinker with the independence of the judiciary, but exhorted that to strengthen the role of law, the judiciary will have to ensure that it was completely corruption-free.

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