The Opposition in Maharashtra is questioning the Supreme Court Collegium’s recommendation for the appointment of Advocate Aarti Arun Sathe as a judge of the Bombay High Court.
Appointed spokesperson of the Maharashtra BJP in February 2023, Sathe resigned in January 2024 citing “personal and professional reasons”. She also resigned from the primary membership of the party and as head of the Mumbai BJP legal cell on January 6, 2024.
On July 28, the Collegium approved the proposal for the appointment of advocates Sathe, Ajit Bhagwanrao Kadethankar and Sushil Manohar Ghodeswar as judges of the Bombay High Court.
With over 20 years of experience as a lawyer, Sathe primarily dealt with tax disputes with specialisation in Direct Tax matters, cases before the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI), Securities Appellate Tribunal (SAT) and Customs, Excise and Service Tax Appellate Tribunal (CESTAT), along with matrimonial disputes before the Bombay High Court.
On Tuesday, NCP ( SP) MLA and general secretary Rohit Pawar questioned Sathe’s appointment, underlining that the judiciary is supposed to be free and impartial. He also posted on X a screen shot to highlight that Sathe was affiliated to the ruling BJP and was spokesperson of the party.
“The appointment of a person who advocates for the ruling party from a public platform as a judge is the greatest blow to democracy… The judge is a highly responsible position which should be impartial. When someone is appointed as judge from the ruling party, it raises a serious question mark on neutral position and also democratic process,” Pawar said.
While stating that he was not objecting to Sathe’s qualifications, Pawar sought reconsideration of the decision to recommend her as a judge and said the Chief Justice “should also provide guidance on this matter”.
This story was originally published in indianexpress.com. Read the full story here.
