Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader and lawyer Prashant Bhushan on Wednesday said the NDA Government's reported move to appoint former Chief Justice of India (CJI) P. Sathasivam as the Governor of Kerala could compromise the independence of the judiciary.
"It should be considered beneath the dignity of a retired Chief Justice to accept the post of Governor, which is a political post, at the beck and call of the central government. Secondly, offering such posts to retired judges compromises the independence of the judiciary, because it will not be good if the judges know that they can be offered such posts by the government," Bhushan told ANI here.
"To my mind, there should be a law on this which prohibits retired judges from accepting such posts," he added.
Bhushan also alleged that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is not the first political party to nominate a member of the judiciary to a political position.
"The Congress has done this in the past as well, in the case of Ranganath Misra," he said.
Controversy has erupted over reports that former CJI Sathasivam is set to be the new Governor of Kerala, with the Congress and members of the judiciary alike opposing the move.
