To browbeat, bully others is vintage Congress culture: PM Modi on lawyers' letter to CJI

'To browbeat and bully others is vintage Congress culture. 5 decades ago itself they had called for a "committed judiciary" - they shamelessly want commitment from others for their selfish interests but desist from any commitment towards the nation,' Modi said on X.

New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday said it is a "vintage Congress culture" to browbeat and bully others, remarks that came in reaction to more than 600 lawyers writing to the Chief Justice of India, alleging that a "vested interest group" is trying to put pressure on the judiciary and defame courts.

A group of lawyers has written to Chief Justice of India D Y Chandrachud against vested groups for their direct attack to pressurise the judiciary, influence the judicial process and defame courts on the basis of frivolous logic and stale political agenda.

In a post on X, Prime Minister Narendra Modi sought to endorse their assertion, and said, "To browbeat and bully others is vintage Congress culture."

On March 22, after SC's rejection of a plea by BRS leader K Kavitha for immediate relief against her arrest, senior advocate Kapil Sibal had told the bench, "When history of this court will be written, this will not be golden period."

In their letter, the lawyers expressed concern on creation of false narratives of a supposed "better past" and "golden period of the courts", contrasting it with the happenings in the present.

"Their antics are vitiating the atmosphere of trust and harmony, which characterises the functioning of the judiciary. Their pressure tactics are most obvious in political cases, particularly those involving political figures accused of corruption. These tactics are damaging to our courts and threaten our democratic fabric", the letter alleged.

In his remarks, Modi said, "5 decades ago itself they had called for a "committed judiciary" - they shamelessly want commitment from others for their selfish interests but desist from any commitment towards the nation. No wonder 140 crore Indians are rejecting them."

The letter has been signed over 100 lawyers, including by senior advocates Harish Salve, Bar Council of India chairman Manan Kumar Mishra, SC Bar Association president Adish C Aggarwala, Pinky Anand and Swarupama Chaturvedi, Uday Holla.

They stated, "It's troubling to see some lawyers defend politicians by the day, and then try to influence judges through the media at night. Implying that the courts in the past were easier to influence shakes the public's trust in them."

"They have also concocted an entire theory of 'bench fixing' which is not just disrespectful and contemptuous it's an attack on the honour and dignity of our courts. At times, it also leads to slanderous attacks and insinuations on respected judges," the letter alleged.

It accused the group of having stooped to the level of comparing our courts to those countries where there is no rule of law and accusing our judicial institutions with unfair practices. 

"These aren't just criticisms; they are direct attacks meant to damage the public's trust in our judiciary and threaten the fair application of our laws," it contended.

The letter also questioned timing of their modus operandi, saying it also merited closer scrutiny- they do it at very strategic timings, when the nation is all set to head into elections. 

"We are reminded of similar antics in 2018-2019 when they took to their 'hit and run' activities, including fabricating wrong narratives," it said.

"These efforts to belittle and manipulate the courts for personal and political reasons cannot be allowed under any circumstances. We request the Supreme Court to stand strong and take steps to protect our courts from these attacks. Staying silent or doing nothing could accidentally give more power to those who mean to do harm. This is not the time to maintain dignified silence as such efforts are happening since few years and too frequently," it stated.