Madras High Court advocates write to the President and Supreme Court Collegium: Flag recommendation of Gowri’s appointment as judge

The advocates have flagged hate speeches made by Lekshmana Chandra Victoria Gowri, a BJP member, against Muslims and Christians.

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THE controversy over the Supreme Court Collegium's decision to recommend the appointment of advocate and Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) member Lekshmana Chandra Victoria Gowri as judge of the Madras High Court refuses to die down.

A group of advocates belonging to the Madras High Court Bar has made representations to President Draupadi Murmu and the Supreme Court Collegium expressing dismay at the Collegium's recommendation to elevate Gowri, who describes herself in her Twitter bio as "National General Secretary of BJP Mahila Morcha", to the Madras High Court Bench.

The advocates, 22 in number, have flagged the 'hate speeches' made by Gowri against the religious minorities, namely Muslims and Christians. They have demanded that the Collegium withdraw its recommendation, and that the President return the file recommending Gowri's appointment and seek clarification as to how a person spreading hate speech against Indian minorities had been recommended to the high constitutional post of a high court judge.

The Collegium, comprising Chief Justice of India Dr. D.Y. Chandrachud and Justices Sanjay Kishan Kaul and K.M. Joseph, on January 17 recommended the name of Gowri for judgeship, along with the names of four other advocates. It gave no reasons for its recommendations, unlike its resolutions reiterating the names of advocates Saurabh Kirpal, Somasekhar Sundaresan and R. John Sathyan for appointment as judges to the Delhi, Bombay and Madras high courts, respectively.