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Amit Shah lawyer Uday U Lalit likely to be SC judge

by IBNS 11 Jul 2014, 12:36 am

New Delhi, July 11 (IBNS): Uday U Lalit, a senior lawyer who represented Prime Minister Narendra Modi's close aide and new BJP president Amit Shah in Sohrabuddin encounter case, is likely to be elevated as a Supreme Court judge, according to a TV channel report on Friday.

NDTV reported that a Supreme Court panel led by the Chief Justice of India has recommended  Lalit's name, along with three others, for the apex court.

 Lalit  was Amit Shah's lawyer in the case of fake encounter killing of Sohrabuddin Sheikh and Tulsiram Prajapati in Gujarat.  

Interestingly, former solicitor general Gopal Subramanium, whose name as a probable Supreme Court judge was dropped by the government from a list of recommendation, were involved in the same cases.
 
Earlier, Chief Justice of India R M Lodha has criticised the Modi government over its decision to reject  Gopal Subramanium's candidature as Supreme Court judge.

Lodha has said the independence of judiciary  will not be compromised.

Subramanium recently withdrew his candidature for his appointment as a Supreme Court judge.

Subramamium said that he does not want to become a SC judge as the NDA government has apprehensions that he will not toe their line.

In a letter written by him to Chief Justice of India, in which he withdrew his candidature for appointment as an SC judge, Subramaniam wrote, "I am fully conscious that my independence as a lawyer is causing apprehensions that I will not toe the government line. This factor has been decisive in refusing to appoint me."

He told a news channel: "The government has a problem with my independence. I can't go around saying pleasant things about everyone. I am not sworn to criticise the government. If they are doing the right thing, I will tell them so. I have consciously given this up because I want to be in a position where I can give advice and that can be done only as an individual.

The government rejected Subramanium's name even after the Supreme Court Collegium had cleared the names of two senior advocates, that included him, to be appointed as the apex court judges.

Subaramanium also told the channel that he has felt let down by the judiciary as no one raised a voice against the government.