Trinamool Congress MP Kalyan Banerjee on Friday urged the government to stop the practice of offering governorship to retiring Chief Justices of India and accommodating top bureaucrats in institutional positions.
“It is extremely unfortunate that an ex-Chief Justice of India of this country has been offered governorship in one of the states. This should not have been done,“ Mr Banerjee said pointing to the appointment of former CJI P Sathasivam as the governor of Kerala by the NDA government.
Participating in a debate on high court and the Supreme Court Judges (Salaries and Conditions of Service) Amendment Bill in the Lok Sabha, the Trinamool MP said the government should instead consider raising the retirement benefits of judges so that they don’t have the lure of post-retirement `accommodation’.
“I will request the law minister to increase the salary and pension of the judges if required. But make a law that after their retirement, the judges will not be accommodated in any position,“ Mr Banerjee said, adding that the proposed law should equally apply to bureaucrats and police officers. “What did he (the CJ) say o the prime minister at that point of time?“ Mr Banerjee continued.
He then quoted Justice Chakravorty has having said, “Do not make this offer to any judge. If you make such offers o judges, then the judges in his country will start thinking that if they deliver some judgment in favour of the ruling party , they may be appointed as governor.”