CJI may meet rebel judges today

As the crisis triggered by the revolt of four Supreme Court judges lingered, Chief Justice Dipak Misra and the rebel judges may meet on Sunday to resolve the problems raked up by them as two of the dissenting judges on Saturday sought to play down the issue. Three of the four judges, who had attacked the Chief Justice at a press conference here on Friday, were away from the capital and are expected to return on Sunday afternoon. There was no official confirmation about reports that Justice Misra will be meeting the rebel judges. But indications were available that a resolution could be worked out from remarks made by Justices Kurian Joseph and Ranjan Gogoi and Attorney General K.K. Venugopal. Justice Joseph said in Kochi that there was no constitutional crisis in the apex court. “We did this for a cause and I think (the) issues appear to have been sorted out. This was not against anyone nor are we having anything personal. It was meant to see that more transparency is there,” said Justice Joseph. Ranjan Gogoi, who was in Kolkata for a meeting of legal services authorities, also ruled out any crisis hitting the top court. “There is no crisis,” he said, but refused to make any further comments. Attorney General Venugopal, meanwhile, expressed the hope that the problems in the top judiciary would be “settled” by Monday.

The Bar Council of India (BCI) met here on Saturday and unanimously decided that a seven-member delegation of the bar would try to meet majority of Supreme Court judges on Sunday in an attempt to persuade them to resolve the issue at the earliest.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Principal Secretary Nripendra Misra was on Saturday morning seen driving to the residence of the Chief Justice. He was seen sitting inside his official car which returned from the gate of the Chief Justice’s residence without entering the premises. IANS