Ashok Gehlot, the chief minister of Rajasthan, criticized the alleged “corruption” in the judiciary on Wednesday. He claimed to have learned that multiple lawyers compose the judgments and present them to the judges, who then issue them without any modification.

“Whether it’s the higher judiciary or the lesser judiciary, things are truly taking a severe turn in our institutions,” he said. “The citizens ought to think about it.”

He claimed that contrary to the customary process for the High Courts 25 years prior, he had never spoken to the judges who had been chosen on his recommendation in his capacity as the Chief Minister.

According to Mr. Gehlot, the Narendra Modi administration is blatantly flouting all constitutional requirements and putting excessive pressure on the court, CBI, Enforcement Directorate, and Income Tax Department. He claimed that despite the legislation requiring prior notice, the CBI and ED were breaking into people’s homes without it.

However, Ashok Gehlot, the chief minister of Rajasthan, later clarified that his statement about “corruption in the judiciary” from the previous day was not his “personal opinion” and that he always “respected and believed in the judiciary.”

His clarification followed the filing of a public interest litigation (PIL) in the Rajasthan High Court seeking to start contempt proceedings against the chief minister. On Friday, lawyer associations also organized a one-day strike.

“What I said regarding the judiciary’s corruption yesterday was not my own opinion. I’ve always admired and trusted the judicial system. Many retired Supreme Court justices, and even retired chief justices, have occasionally remarked on and expressed worry about corruption in the judiciary.”

Shivcharan Gupta, an attorney, filed a PIL earlier in the day asking the high court’s Jaipur bench to hold Gehlot in contempt of court over his comments. However, there was no hearing scheduled on the issue.

The chief minister’s statement, according to Ravi Bhansali, president of the Rajasthan Lawyers Association, and Ranjeet Joshi, president of the State Advocates Association, showed “irresponsible behavior.” Additionally, they requested that “appropriate action” be taken by the chief justice of the high court in response to the comments.

They also declared a symbolic one-day strike on Friday in the high court and other courts, saying they would continue to protest until the chief minister offered an apology.

Gehlot had stated to reporters on Wednesday: “Today’s judiciary is so rife with corruption. I’ve heard that some attorneys draft the decision and present it to the court, where an identical decision is then rendered.”

“What is going on in the legal system? The situation is quite dangerous, whether it be lower or upper, and people should consider it,” he had stressed.

Show Cause Notice Issued to Gehlot

In response to a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) calling for suo moto criminal contempt proceedings against the Chief Minister, a division bench of the Rajasthan High Court has started action against him. Shivcharan Gupta, a local attorney, filed the PIL after the chief minister commented on “corruption” in the court.

After deliberating on the petition on Saturday, the division bench, presided over by Justices M. M. Shrivastava and Ashutosh Kumar, sent Chief Minister Gehlot a show-cause notice. He has three weeks to respond according to the notice’s instructions.

Gehlot spoke to the media earlier this week in Jaipur and mentioned how corrupt the judiciary is regularly. “Corruption is pervasive in today’s judiciary,” he said. “I’ve heard that some attorneys write the verdicts themselves, which are then read aloud exactly.”

The chief minister later emphasized that his statement did not reflect his own opinion in response to intense anger and criticism. He underscored his longstanding respect and confidence in the legal system.

Gehlot’s words, according to the PIL’s attorney Shiv Charan Gupta, amounted to “wilful scandalizing and lowering the image of the judiciary.” “I cannot stand it as a practicing attorney,” the former judicial officer said. “I have asked the court to take suo motu cognizance and begin proceedings for contempt of court.”

The Lawyers’ Association of Jodhpur’s president, Ravi Bhansali, declared a symbolic strike on Friday at the main courthouse and in lower courts until the CM changed his words. Former vice-chairman of the Rajasthan Bar Council Yogendra Singh Tanwar wrote to Chief Justice Augustine George Masih of the HC on what he called the CM’s “contemptuous statements.”

-Pragati Senger