Opposition questions Aarti Sathe's nomination to bench citing political past

India Today

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The Supreme Court Collegium's recommendation of advocate Aarti Sathe for elevation as a judge has stirred political controversy, with opposition parties in Maharashtra raising concerns over her past political affiliations. Sathe, they claim, served as a BJP spokesperson between 2023 and 2024.The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), however, clarified that Sathe had resigned from all party positions and primary membership in early 2024.advertisementAarti Sathe hails from a family of legal professionals. Her father, senior counsel Arun Sathe, is also known to have been active in politics, according to some lawyers practising in the Bombay High Court. Sathe is reported to specialise in tax disputes, matters before the Securities Appellate Tribunal (SAT) and SEBI, as well as matrimonial cases.
The Maharashtra unit of the Indian National Congress posted on X, criticising the recommendation. In a strongly worded statement, the party said, 'The height of shamelessness. Shockingly, BJP spokespersons are being selected as judges. The BJP has openly started a cruel mockery of democracy.'Rohit Pawar, leader of the NCP's Sharad Pawar faction, also voiced objections via a post on X. He shared a screenshot from a now-defunct social media account of Sathe, in which she had announced her appointment as BJP spokesperson in Mumbai, accompanied by a folded hands emoji.Pawar wrote: 'The appointment of a person who advocates for the ruling party from a public platform as a judge is the greatest blow to democracy. This will have far-reaching consequences on the impartiality of the Indian judicial system. Merely possessing the qualifications to become a judge and appointing politically affiliated individuals directly as judges—isn't this tantamount to turning the judiciary into a political arena?'He further questioned the neutrality of judicial appointments: 'When a person appointed as a judge in a high court has a political background and has held a position in the ruling party, who can guarantee that the process of delivering justice will not be tainted by political bias? Doesn't the appointment of a single political figure raise questions about the entire process of justice delivery?'In response, BJP Maharashtra media head Navnath Ban dismissed the allegations as baseless. In his reply to Pawar on X, he wrote: 'False accusations should not be made recklessly. Aarti Sathe resigned from the position of BJP spokesperson on January 6, 2024. The resignation letter was submitted to the then state president Chandrashekhar Bawankule and Mumbai BJP president Ashish Shelar.'Ban also posted a copy of Sathe's resignation letter, in which she stepped down from her roles as BJP Mumbai spokesperson, Head of the BJP Mumbai Legal Cell, and primary membership of the party. The letter cited personal and professional reasons and stated that she would no longer be able to discharge her duties in those capacities.advertisementThe Supreme Court Collegium, led by Chief Justice of India BR Gavai and comprising other senior judges, interviews prospective candidates and forwards recommendations to the central government for judicial appointments. On July 28, the Collegium recommended three names for elevation, including Sathe's. The central government is yet to act on the recommendations.- Ends
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