The appointment of Advocate Aarti Arun Sathe, a former spokesperson of the Maharashtra BJP, as a judge of the Bombay High Court, has sparked controversy, with the Opposition calling it the “greatest blow to democracy,” raising serious questions about the impartiality and fairness of the Indian judiciary and demanding her removal.
The Supreme Court Collegium, in its meeting on 28th July 2025, approved the appointment of Ajit Bhagwanrao Kadethankar, Aarti Arun Sathe, and Sushil Manohar Ghodeswar as judges of the Bombay High Court.
Appointed as the Maharashtra BJP spokesperson in February 2023, Aarti Arun Sathe stepped down from the role in January 2024, citing “personal and professional reasons.” On January 6, 2024, she also resigned from the party’s primary membership and her position as head of the Mumbai BJP legal cell.
Posting a screenshot of the appointment as spokesperson to highlight Sathe’s past affiliation with the ruling BJP, where she served as a party spokesperson, NCP (SP) MLA, and general secretary Rohit Pawar on Tuesday questioned her appointment, stressing that the judiciary must remain free and impartial.
“The appointment of a person who advocates for the ruling party from a public platform as a judge is the greatest blow to democracy,” he said, stressing, “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?”
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