Govt acting in partisan manner on appointment of SC judges: CPI(M)

NEW DELHI: CPI(M) today attacked the government for acting in a "partisan" manner on the appointment of Supreme Court judges following charges levelled by senior lawyer Gopal Subramaniam and said the apex court should undo the "damage".

"The Modi government has acted in a manner which is detrimental to the independence of the judiciary. The Supreme Court should act to undo the damage caused by this partisan step," the party's Politburo said in a statement.

Subramaniam, a former Solicitor General, had withdrawn his name for appointment as a judge in the apex court as "a result of the shameful stand adopted by the Modi government in objecting to this appointment," the party said.

Maintaining that the collegium of Supreme Court judges had forwarded four names including Subramaniam's for appointment, it said he was "penalized for his role as amicus curiae to assist the Supreme Court in the Sohrabuddin Sheikh encounter case which resulted in BJP leader Amit Shah being charge-sheeted in the case."

Subramaniam has accused the government of ordering CBI to "scrounge" for "dirt" against him to scuttle his elevation. He had also said he was "targeted" because of his independence and integrity.