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Supreme Court of India (Img: Pinterest)
New Delhi: The Supreme Court has taken up a public interest litigation (PIL) linked to the controversy surrounding the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) and alleged misuse of oral observations made during court proceedings.
A bench headed by Chief Justice of India (CJI) Surya Kant issued notices to the Centre, the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), the Bar Council of India (BCI) and the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).
The matter has been listed for further hearing on September 10.
The PIL has been filed by advocate Raja Choudhary and seeks orders for initiating an investigation into the commercialization, trademarking, profiting from and unauthorized distribution of oral comments made by judges during their court proceedings.
It is being claimed that although criticism of courts, satire and freedom of speech are protected rights guaranteed by the Constitution, commercialization of judicial observations may have an effect on the credibility of the legal system in the eyes of the general public.
This case specifically relates to the activities of the Cockroach Janta Party, which was formed following a controversy regarding judicial observations made in a Supreme Court hearing.
The PIL has further sought for an independent investigation of the matter, preferably by the CBI or any other organization, into the issue involving fake advocates, fake degrees, impersonation and declining standards of professionalism in the legal fraternity.
The PIL mentioned concerns that have already been raised by the Bar Council of India and judicial comments on the matter of persons practising law with fake or unrecognized degrees.
The Supreme Court’s notice does not indicate any final finding but marks the beginning of judicial examination of the issues raised in the PIL.
The upcoming hearing will focus on the allegations regarding the misuse of judicial remarks, legal profession concerns and the broader questions surrounding the CJP controversy.
