To date only five, namely Justices S.M. Sikri, S. Chandra Roy, Kuldip Singh, Santosh Hegde and Rohinton F. Nariman have been appointed as Supreme Court judges directly from amongst practicing advocates. Senior lawyer Uday U Lalit, who represented Prime Minister Narendra Modi's close aide and now BJP President Amit Shah in two high profile criminal cases, is likely to be elevated as a Supreme Court judge after this NDA government controversially rejected Gopal Subramanium’s name.
However anxiously waiting in the wings now is Goa’s very controversial Advocate General Atmaram Nadkarni who is reportedly desperately aspiring and lobbying to make it to the country’s highest Temple of justice. He is hoping that Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar will pull the right strings to land him there. Before being appointed as a Supreme Court Judge one has to go through an intense IB (Intelligence Bureau) screening. For Atmaram Nadkarni the IB office in Goa is just opposite his bungalow at Caranzalem. Possibly they already have an encyclopedia compiled on their flamboyant neighbour. With all the self made muck that Atmaram Nadkarni finds himself embroiled and enmeshed in, he should have long past been stripped of the high constitutional post as Advocate General. By his mind boggling acts of omission and commission one wonders how he even managed to be designated as a Senior Advocate. Atmaram Nadkarni is puffed up with arrogance and demonstrates high levels of vengeance which is seen within the Court room and outside. In Court once you cross swords with him in any matter his instant anger driven dagger at you after the hearing is ‘Tuka dakhoitam’ (I will show you). Such conduct cannot be tolerated from any advocate and more so from a designated Senior lawyer who unfortunately is Goa’s First Law officer. Atmaram Nadkarni is known for his roaring, more often without substance trying to take Judges on a ride. Many of them have seen through the game plan, others will sooner than later. An Advocate General has to be very truthful to the Court always placing the correct position in law. He should be upright, extremely honest besides never manipulative and should be never ever coercing officers to file skewed and adulterated affidavits. But with Atmaram Nadkarni’s unending lust for power and wealth, even the fundamental ethical practice that an Advocate General should never appear directly or indirectly in cases against the government has been consigned to the flames. The evidence to this effect through his juniors and sidekicks besides glaring is overwhelming. Atmaram Nadkarni has been a friend of many years but while we can pray for him we have a more crucial role to safeguard and ensure that the solemn edifice of the Supreme Court of India is not disgraced. In the words of the great American Social reformer Henry Ward Beecher "Take all the robes of all the good judges that have ever lived on the face of the earth, and they would not be large enough to cover the inequity of one corrupt judge" Aires Rodrigues Advocate High Court C/G-2, Shopping Complex Ribandar Retreat, Ribandar – Goa – 403006 Mobile No: 9822684372 Office Tel No: (0832) 2444012 Email: [email protected] Or [email protected] You can also reach me on Facebook.com/ AiresRodrigues Twitter@rodrigues_aires
