JUDICIARY

Centre asks SC collegium to reconsider recommendation on Justice Joseph

Move a day after senior advocate Indu Malhotra's name was cleared as SC judge

Supreme Court of India | PTI Supreme Court of India | PTI

The government on Thursday asked the Supreme Court collegium to reconsider its recommendation for elevating Justice K.M. Joseph to the apex court, sources said.

This comes a day after the government cleared the appointment of senior advocate Indu Malhotra as a judge of the Supreme Court and kept in abeyance a decision on Joseph, who heads the Uttarakhand High Court. Both the names were recommended by the collegium earlier this year.

The government's decision of not approving Joseph's name has evoked sharp reactions with the Supreme Court Bar Association President terming it as "disturbing". 

Meanwhile, the Congress today accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of indulging in "revenge politics" by "refusing" to clear the elevation of the country's most senior chief Justice K.M. Joseph, to the Supreme Court.

The judiciary is under the most vicious attack ever" and totalitarianism will stump democracy if the nation does not rise now, Congress communications in-charge Randeep Surjewala alleged.