Centre notifies appointment of Aarti Sathe as HC judge
'In exercise of the power conferred by clause (1) of Article 224 of the Constitution of India, the President is pleased to appoint (i) Shri Ajit Bhagwanrao Kadethankar, (ii) Shri Sushil Manohar Ghodeswar and (iii) Ms Aarti Arun Sathe, to be Additional Judges of the Bombay High Court, in that order of seniority, for a period of two years, with effect from the date they assume charge of their respective offices,' the notification stated.
The Union Ministry of Law and Justice (Appointments Division) issued the notification on Wednesday, a fortnight after the Supreme Court Collegium on July 28 recommended Sathe's appointment, along with the other two judges. Following this, opposition leaders in Maharashtra raised objections to Sathe's appointment, calling her elevation to the judiciary 'the gravest blow to democracy'.
The appointment of three new judges has taken the strength of the high court to 69, against a sanctioned strength of 94.
'The appointment of a political figure raises doubts about the entire process of delivery of justice. It also undermines the principle of separation of power ensured by the Constitution,' NCP (SP) legislator Rohit Pawar had said, and demanded that the decision be reconsidered.
Sathe said she had already resigned from the party, while the Maharashtra BJP pointed out that such an appointment had taken place during the Congress regime too. 'I had resigned from all political posts long before this. So that settles it. I don't want to respond to anything else,' said Sathe.
The Congress's state unit president Harshwardhan Sapkal said that if someone who held an active position in a political party was appointed as a judge, her judgments could not be impartial. 'Democracy and the Constitution have been systematically sidelined in the country since 2014,' said Sapkal. 'All autonomous institutions are operating under government directives, even the Election Commission of India. But the most serious and worrying development is within the judiciary itself.'
Responding to the controversy, the BJP said Sathe had resigned as party spokesperson from the post on January 6 last year, and had posted her resignation letter on social media.
Sathe's legal practice has largely been in the field of direct and indirect taxes. She is an alumna of Government Law College, Mumbai. Her father, Arun P Sathe, is a BJP worker with an RSS background. He was BJP in-charge of the eastern region of Uttar Pradesh and was also associated with the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Sena.
Arun Sathe had unsuccessfully fought the Lok Sabha election as a BJP candidate in 1989, from Mumbai North-West constituency, against the Congress's Sunil Dutt. He is the elder brother of former Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan. A similar controversy took place when the central government appointed Arun Sathe to the board of the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) in August 2015.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
NDTV
22 minutes ago
- NDTV
"Some Parties Didn't Ask For Corrections...": Poll Body On Voter Roll Row
The Election Commission (EC) clarified that political parties are involved at all stages of preparation of electoral rolls and did not raise objections in time, as the poll body faces criticism over the voter list revision in Bihar and vote theft allegations. A day before it is scheduled to address a presser on Sunday, the EC said that physical and digital copies of draft electoral rolls are shared with all political parties and put on the ECI website for anyone to see. A one month period is then given for the filing of claims and objections. The final published voter list is also shared with all recognised political parties and a two-tiered appeals process is made available. Amid the ongoing Special Intensive Revision of voter lists ahead of the Bihar Assembly polls, the EC's is facing questions from Opposition parties, which claim that the move will disenfranchise crores of eligible citizens due to want of papers. The Supreme Court also directed the poll to publish online the list of over 65 lakh voters proposed for deletion during the SIR exercise. Defending itself against the criticism, the EC said in Saturday's release, "It seems that some political parties and their Booth Level Agents (BLAs) did not examine the Electoral Rolls at the appropriate time and did not point out errors." The EC also said the the parties that have objections to the electoral rolls did not raised objections "at the right time through the right channels". The Election Commission has responded to the Opposition's statements on the Bihar voter list revision exercise, stating that all political parties in Bihar were provided with the complete list of proposed deletions beginning July 20, 2025. This includes the names, reasons for proposed deletions-ranging from death, permanent migration, untraceability, to duplicate entries-and clear guidelines on filing objections. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi also levelled voter theft charges against the EC, for which the poll body has sought an apology if he fails to give an undertaking backing his allegations. The commission has asked the Congress leader to submit the names of those he claims have been wrongfully added or removed from the voters' list, along with a signed declaration.
The Hindu
22 minutes ago
- The Hindu
Yelahanka MLA takes out ‘Dharmasthala chalo' rally
The 'Dharmasthala chalo' rally, led by senior BJP leader and MLA for Yelahanka S.R. Vishwanath, reached the temple town from Nelamangala on Saturday. The rally had been taken out to oppose 'smear campaign' and 'slander' against Dharmasthala Manjunatha temple and its administration in the backdrop of the ongoing SIT investigation into the alleged burial of bodies in Dharmasthala village more than a decade ago. The rally reached here ahead of BJP State unit president B.Y. Vijayendra's scheduled visit to the temple on Sunday. Many BJP MLAs and some MPs are expected to join Mr. Vijayendra during his visit. Mr. Vishwanath led a convoy of about 400 vehicles carrying his supporters. The convoy, which left Nelamangala on Saturday morning, reached Dharmasthala at around 3 p.m. Speaking to reporters, Mr. Vishwanath said the Special Investigation Team (SIT), probing the allegation, cannot go on excavating new places shown by the complainant and malign the sanctity of Dharmasthala. Some people, including YouTubers, were using the case to defame Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar, other MLAs, and Pattadhikari of Kshetra Dharmasthala D. Veerendra Heggade, he said. The SIT probe was being used to target the reputation of the temple and Mr. Heggade. After submitting the preliminary report to the government, the SIT should do a thorough inquiry of the complainant and find out those who were behind him in this 'sinister campaign'. The SIT should probe into the funding behind the campaign, he said. No excavation done on Saturday Meanwhile, the SIT did not excavate any alleged burial sites on Saturday. The complainant was questioned at the SIT office in Belthangady. A few witnesses, who have claimed of seeing the complainant burying the bodies, were also questioned, the SIT sources said. So far, the SIT has excavated 17 sites, many of them were in and around the Snana Ghatta (bathing ghat), near Dharmasthala. A plain site near the vented dam at Snana Ghatta, a site off the road leading to Bahubali Betta, and a revenue site near Dwarakashrama in Kanyadi were the other sites that were excavated.
The Hindu
22 minutes ago
- The Hindu
Catholic priest's presence at RSS event in Pala raises eyebrows
At a time when the Catholic Church in Kerala has been voicing concern over attacks on Christians in central and northern States of India, the participation of a priest from the Pala diocese of the Syro-Malabar Church at an event of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) has raised a few eyebrows. Father George Nellikunnu Cherivu Purayidom, director of Care Homes project under the Pala diocese and Deepika Friends Club, presided over Shankholi 2025, a student summit jointly organised by the Poonjar, Meenachil and Ramapuram units of the RSS on August 15. Addressing the gathering, Father Purayidom said that it was the generation inspired by India's spiritual heritage and the freedom struggle that went on to shape modern India. Today's younger generation must strive to project the nation's glory on the world stage, making effective use of organisation and technology. The keynote address at the summit was delivered by Desheeya Adhyapaka Parishat State vice-president Jigi Mash. However, the event has already raised a few eyebrows within the Catholic Church, especially in the wake of recent attacks on nuns and priests from Kerala in Chhattisgarh and Odisha, allegedly by Sangh Parivar activists. 'This only reflects how sections of the Catholic clergy remain insensitive to the sufferings of their fellow believers in BJP-ruled states,' observed another priest, reacting to the priest's presence. The instance has also triggered debates on social media and within the Catholic community. When contacted, Fr. Purayidom clarified that he had attended the event with the knowledge of Pala Bishop Joseph Kallarangatt. 'I decided to attend since the programme was related to Independence Day. I went there on the organisers' invitation and delivered a speech on the theme of the event. There is no need to misconstrue this in any other way,' he explained. Commenting on the issue, Fr. Jhoseph Thadathil, Vicar General of the diocese, maintained that the priest must have attended the event in his personal capacity. 'The diocese, as a matter of principle, does not interfere in the affairs of any political organisation, nor does it extend support to any. The diocese has nothing to do with the event, even if the said priest attended it,' he clarified.
