Former SC judge Kurian Joseph cautions against mixing religion with politics

Former Supreme Court judge Kurian Joseph has urged caution against mixing religion with politics for electoral gains. He also warns of attempts being made to attain cultural homogeneity in the country.

Delivering the keynote address at the 11th national conference of the Indian Association of Lawyers (IAL) here on Saturday, Mr. Joseph stressed the need to preserve the composite culture of the country as mandated by the fundamental duties.

Lamenting efforts to weaken the country’s unity by destroying its diversity, he called for vigil against efforts to induce uniformity in various aspects.

The former judge was critical of the increasing role for religion in deciding candidates for elections. He called for stringent punishments, including debarring and disqualifying candidates, to ensure that religion did not interfere with the electoral process. He blamed political parties for politicising religion and promoting sectional and divisive tendencies.

Mr. Joseph advocated steps to amend the anti-defection law to prevent elected representatives from defecting to other parties without seeking electoral mandate again. The existing scenario had paved the way for several elected governments getting toppled with parties indulging in horse-trading.

Mr. Joseph endorsed the demand to bring in legislation for judicial appointments, provided it did not curtail the independence of the judiciary. Alleging that the collegium system had been “made a mockery during the past five or six years”, he claimed appointments had become arbitrary in the absence of a law. The appointment norms had been tinkered by the executive. “There is no longer the need for a MoP (Memorandum of Procedure that guides appointment and transfer of Supreme Court and High Court judges) if you are a person of choice.”

Former Chief Justice of the Allahabad High Court Govind Mathur, IAL national president R.S. Cheema, and State president K.P. Jayachandran were among those present. Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan inaugurated the delegates session on Friday.

The four-day event will come to a close on Sunday. Law Minister P. Rajeeve, Kerala High Court judges Devan Ramachandran and N. Nagaresh, and senior advocate Sanjay R. Hedge will participate in various sessions on the concluding day.