DY CHANDRACHUD, FORMIDABLE CHIEF JUSTICE

THE very illustrious and affable DY Chandrachud has retired after ably steering the scales of justice for two years as the 50th Chief Justice of India. Prior to that he was judge of India’s highest court for over six eventful years.
Greg Olsen had very aptly said “Change happens through example and not through just talking about it.” And this is exactly what DY Chandrachud did by ushering a lot of progressive change in the manner and mechanism of dispensation of justice, not only in the Supreme Court but also in the high courts across India.
While he was Justice of the Bombay High Court from 2000 to 2013 it was extremely inspiring to appear before him whenever he presided over the Bench of the High Court at Goa. He was outspoken, versatile, candid as ever but always with a sense of humour. Justice Chandrachud had a razor-sharp mind and paid attention to every minute detail. In 1980 as a College student it was my rare privilege to appear in the Supreme Court before his father, the then 16th Chief Justice of India YV Chandrachud in a petition I had filed in public interest.
Being a judge is no easy task. As Martin Luther King famously said, “There comes a time when one must take a position that is neither safe nor politic nor popular, but he must take it because conscience tells him it is right.” And the books of history will record that the Chandrachuds gave their best.
Would it be too much to expect that the eminent calm and composed jurist DY Chandrachud be a bench mark and that every judge globally aspires to attain his level of performance, integrity and competence. Let us hope and be optimistic that the judiciary worldwide remains a pillar of hope to ensure that good governance and the rule of law prevails.
—Aires Rodrigues, London

CASH-FOR-JOBS SCAM

THIS is to inform your readers that a delegation from the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), led by State President Adv Amit Palekar, met  Governor  P S Sreedharan Pillai on Wednesday, November 13   morning to demand action on the state’s emerging cash-for-jobs scandal. The AAP leaders submitted a memorandum calling on the governor to summon Chief Minister Dr Pramod Sawant and conduct a detailed inquiry into the matter which they allege involves BJP officials and insiders.

The AAP delegation included AAP MLAs Capt Venzy Viegas and Engr Cruz Silva, working presidents Valmiki Naik  and Gerson Gomes, vice-president Roque Mascarenhas, and general secretary (campaign) Francis Coelho. They  emphasised the critical need for a Judicial Commission to ensure an independent investigation, as well as protection to whistleblowers so that more victims could come forward and expose the true extent of the scam without fear of retaliation.

“The Chief Minister is at the center of this job scam. If the CDR (Call Detail Record) tower location data from the past year of the accused were analysed, we could pinpoint the connections leading up the chain of command,” stated Adv Palekar. He added, “This scandal is likely implicate BJP MLAs, ministers, and officials if properly investigated, which explains the CM’s resistance in establishing a Judicial Commission. He is more concerned with preserving his chair than safeguarding justice.”

Palekar highlighted recent evidence suggesting irregularities in police recruitment processes, including discrepancies in the physical standards of newly recruited PSI officers. “If new physical tests were held, some appointees wouldn’t meet the basic fitness criteria. Goa’s government jobs are being sold, and youth futures are being destroyed,” Palekar lamented, urging an immediate halt to all recruitment processes until a transparent hiring system via the Staff Selection Commission is adopted.

Velim MLA Engr Cruz Silva stated that an independent investigation is the need of the hour.  “The BJP leadership cannot brush off these allegations, as the truth is now surfacing with mounting evidence on a daily basis,” he stated.

Adding that it is now clear that Govt jobs are on sale, Silva further demanded that pending investigation, all appointments that are under suspicion of being secured through unethical means should be suspended.

Benaulim MLA Capt Venzy Viegas issued a rallying call for unity among opposition parties, saying “The BJP government has become focused solely on cash, whether it’s cash for jobs, cash for land conversion, or cash for transfers. I appeal to all opposition parties to join forces to bring the government to account and protect the future of our youth.”

Stating that all the victims need to come forward to expose the full extent of this scam, Viegas demanded protection to the complainants and whistleblowers, so that the investigation is truly independent and the real kingpins and queenpins of the scam are brought to book.–AAP Media Cell, Panjim, Go