TOI: CJI tightens judge selection norms to curb corruption: September 26, 2008

New Delhi: With the judiciary in a spot following the recent case of impeachment against a Calcutta high court judge and the CBI inquiry into a PF scam involving several judges, Chief Justice of India K G Balakrishnan haspromised tough measures against “black sheep’’ in judicial robes. 

 The CJI on Thursday made it clear he would not hesitate to permit the prosecution of corrupt judges if the investigating agencies presented unimpeachable evidence against them. He said he was open to making the impeachment process less tortuous, but warned that safeguards could not be diluted.

   Stating that corruption was “just not acceptable’’, the CJI said the collegium of judges had widened the scope of information sought about the antecedents of a judge candidate to spare the judiciary embarrassment, as in the case of Justice Soumitra Sen (see box). 

   Asked if the impeachment process was cumbersome and hindered swift action against judges found corrupt by the judiciary’s in-house mechanism, Justice Balakrishnan said impeachment was a political decision approved by parliament. There was scope for simplification, he agreed, but immediately clarified that “too much simplification will be counterproductive’’. “If it is made very simple, then the lives of judges will be rendered miserable as any aggrieved party will attempt to invoke the impeachment motion,’’ he said.

JUDGES IN DOCK

Ghaziabad PF scam |

Sept 23, SC asks CBI to take over probe in which 35 sitting judges, including one from SC, are alleged to have benefited from misappropriation of Rs 23 crore from the PF account of Class III and IV employees of Ghaziabad court

Chandigarh cash-for-judge scam |

Absconding Delhi hotelier Ravinder Singh surrendered on Sept 19. At his instance, lawyer Sanjeev Bansal allegedly sent Rs 15 lakh to the house of Justice Nirmaljit Kaur mistaking her for Justice Nirmal Yadav. SC has permitted CBI to question the 2 judges