Intelligence Bureau failed to give correct report on Victoria Gowri’s hate speech, claims retired judge
Victoria Gowri on 7 February, Tuesday, took oath as an additional judge of the Madras High Court. She was administered the oath by Acting Chief Justice T Raja, just minutes before the Supreme Court dismissed a plea filed by a group of lawyers against her appointment as a judge.
The petitioners argued that Victoria Gowri harboured antipathy towards the minorities of the country and cited examples of her delivering hate speeches, especially against Christians.
Speaking to India Today about her appointment, retired judge of the Madras High Court, Justice D Hariparanthaman, accused the Intelligence Bureau (IB) of failing to give a correct report to the Supreme Court Collegium about Victoria Gowri’s background and her objectionable utterances against minority communities.
“The Chief Justice of India said the allegations against Victoria Gowri were not brought to their notice. Had it been brought to their notice, the Collegium would not have considered her. The IB has to give these reports. The IB has not given the correct report about her hate speech,” the retired judge claimed.
Several other legal experts have also raised questions about whether the IB flagged the hate speeches made by Victoria Gowri during the appointment process.
Many also drew comparisons to how the agency, in its report to the Union Government, highlighted a social media post shared by lawyer John Sathyan—whose name was also recommended earlier by the Supreme Court Collegium for appointment as a high court judge—as it was critical of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. In Sathyan’s case, the Centre returned his name to the Collegium, citing his social media posts.
Speaking about the two instances, Justice Hariparanthaman charged that the IB was “not impartial” and that it “acted for a particular purpose.”
“Whatever the political executive wanted, it seems the IB gave a report to suit that,” he said.
Apart from Victoria Gowri’s hate speeches, Justice Hariparanthaman also pointed out that another objection he had over her appointment as a judge of the Madras High Court was the manner in which the Union Government overlooked several other names cleared by the Collegium, such as John Sathyan.
He explained: “Victoria Gowri’s appointment is against the decision of the Collegium. The Collegium told the government that they cannot make any appointment without first appointing John Sathyan as a judge. That’s what I understood from the detailed order of the Collegium. Two other names were also left out. Why is that so? What is happening is totally arbitrary, and it will upset the seniority list.”
