Twenty-one former judges have written to Chief Justice of India (CJI) DY Chandrachud and expressed their concerns over "escalating attempts" by "certain factions" to undermine the judiciary through "calculated pressure, misinformation and public disparagement".
In the letter written on Sunday, the retired judges said they were concerned about what they called "tactics of misinformation" and the "orchestration of public sentiment" against the judiciary, which is detrimental to democratic principles.
These critics are motivated by narrow political interests and personal gains and are striving to erode public confidence in the judicial system, they alleged.
"The practice of selectively praising judicial decisions that align with one’s views while vehemently criticising those that do not undermine the very essence of judicial review and the rule of law," they said.
"It has come to our notice that these elements, motivated by narrow political interests and personal gains, are striving to erode the
public's confidence in our judicial system. Their methods are manifold and insidious, with clear attempts to sway judicial processes by casting aspersions on the integrity of our courts and the judges," they added.
The retired judges include four from the Supreme Court - Justices (retired) Deepak Verma, Krishna Murari, Dinesh Maheshwari and MR Shah.
They also alleged that such actions not only disrespected the sanctity of the judiciary, but also posed a direct challenge to the principles of fairness and impartiality that judges, as guardians of the law, have sworn to uphold.
"The strategy employed by these groups is deeply troubling, ranging from the propagation of baseless theories intended to malign the judiciary’s reputation to engaging in overt and covert attempts to influence judicial outcomes to their favour," the letter read.
The retired judges claimed that such "behaviour" was pronounced in cases and causes of social, economic and political significance, including the cases involving certain individuals, "wherein the lines between advocacy and manoeuvring are blurred to the detriment of judicial independence".
"We are particularly concerned about the tactics of misinformation and the orchestration of public sentiment against the judiciary,
which are not only unethical but also detrimental to the foundational principles of our democracy," they said.
"The practice of selectively praising judicial decisions that align with one’s views while vehemently criticising those that do not undermine the very essence of judicial review and the rule of law," they said.
The retired judges called on the judiciary to take action against "such pressures" and ensure that the sanctity and autonomy of the legal system are preserved.
"It is imperative that the judiciary remains a pillar of democracy, immune to the whims and fancies of transient political interests," they further said.
Last month, over 600 lawyers, including senior advocates Harish Salve and Pinky Anand, flagged their concerns over attempts by a "vested interest group" to influence the judiciary in a letter to CJI Chandrachud.
The lawyers claimed that the group was employing pressure tactics to influence judicial outcomes, especially in cases involving political leaders and corruption charges. The allegations triggered a row between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Congress.
