Politicians in Body Appointing Judges Will Lead to Corruption, Senior Advocate Ram Jethmalani Tells Court

New Delhi: Senior advocate and lawmaker Ram Jethmalani today told the Constitution Bench of the Supreme Court that the presence of a politician in the panel to select judges would lead to corruption in the judiciary.

Mr Jethmalani's remarks were part of his arguments as the top court heard petitions against the validity of the National Judicial Appointments Commission (NJAC), set up recently for the appointment of judges. The NJAC is meant to replace the two-decades-old judges-appointing-judges system. Mr Jethmalani argued that the presence of the Union Law Minister as a member of NJAC would spoil the quality of the selection process.

He reasoned that the Law Minister's presence was unacceptable because the government is the biggest litigant in the court. "The presence of the Law Minister in the Commission diminishes the confidence of the public or the citizens claiming protection against breach of Fundamental Rights or seeking relief against illegal unconstitutional or mala fide action of the executive," he said.

The Supreme Court will continue to hear arguments on petitions against the NJAC on Thursday.