'Interference in judiciary': West Bengal CM Mamata weighs in on SC collegium debate

KOLKATA: Wading into the Supreme Court Collegium debate, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday termed the Union government's approach in the matter as "interference in judiciary".

Incidentally, her comments coincide with the timing on the hearing of two petitions at the Calcutta High Court over the twin incidents of the recent ruckus in front of the court of Justice Rajasekhar Mantha by a section of the lawyers close to Trinamool Congress and recovery of slanderous posters from in front of the residence of Justice Mantha.

"The Union government is trying to interfere in the judiciary by trying to push its representative in the Supreme Court collegium. The court is as sacred as a temple or church. Any interference in the judiciary will ultimately impact the democratic structure of the country. We want total independence of the judiciary," Banerjee told media persons before leaving for Meghalaya to attend a rally there.

She also alleged that the system followed by the Union government in giving clearance to appointment of judges is arbitrary. "The name of the judge gets cleared in a month for appointment in a month if the Union government feels that the judge concerned is soft towards it. However, in the case of others the clearance process is delayed by three months," she claimed. (IANS)

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