Chief Justice receives ‘offensive letter’
SHILLONG: The High Court of Meghalaya has directed Director Generals of Police of Meghalaya and Uttar Pradesh to investigate the activities of one Girish Narain Pande and his “Sarv Seva Trust” from Lucknow after the person in question sent a letter to the Chief Justice of High Court of Meghalaya about his RTI where he sought answers regarding section 51 A of the Constitution of India.
Pande in his letter, while highlighting the steps taken by his Sarv Seva Trust” to popularize Constitution in many villages, wanted to know from the Chief Justice what initiatives he had taken to make people aware about Indian Constitution.
Chief Justice Uma Nath Singh and Justice S.R.Sen also directed the DGPs of both the states to submit their report on October 13 besides ensuring the appearance of Pande so as to find out whether he is in a sound state of mental health as no senior bureaucrat, as he claims to have been, could ever indulge in the act of entering correspondence of the kind he has made to the Chief Justice.
The Court made it clear that there shall be strict compliance of the order, failing which the law will take its course also against the Police officers asked to carry out the directions.
The Court observed that the letter in question was directly addressed to the Chief Justice.
“As rightly mentioned by the office, the text, tenor and tone of the letter, appear to be offensive in as much as the letter can be misinterpreted to mean that the respondent wields the clout to control the judiciary,” the order said.
The Court also observed that the authoritative way in which Pande asked the questions can give a wrong impression to the litigant public and cause erosion of their faith in the office of the Chief Justice and the judicial system. It can also give the impression that the respondent can influence the Chief Justice and the judiciary by issuing such letters to the judicial authorities, for, the Chief Justice is the Head of State Judiciary.
“Moreover, the questions posed not only appear to be highly improper on the face but can get the answers in the Constitution itself, the highest treatise on the system of governance, which the respondent and his organization called, “Sarv Seva Trust” claim to be propagating to the rural masses,” the Court order said.
“He thinks that, upon retirement he is a free citizen with all rights and no legal obligation, little realizing that his pension which he is getting from public exchequer is also subject to keeping a good character and obeisance to law of the land. Ordinarily, all letters connected with the affairs of the High Court are to be addressed only to the Registrar General whose details are available on the Website of the Court, and, in case of seeking information under the Right to Information Act, to the Chief Public Information Officer in terms of the RTI Rules of the High
Court on a proper format prescribed therein, but the respondent has not even cared to read the Meghalaya High Court (Right to Information) Rules,” the Court order further said.
The respondent has also enclosed a blank postal order along with the letter addressed to the Chief Justice which is capable of being misused and misunderstood and can tarnish the image of the Chief Justice as well as the High Court.