Supreme Court Being Used as Political Pawn, Says Ex‑Law Officer

Harish Salve, the former Solicitor General of India, warned that recent attempts by Rahul Gandhi and the India Bloc to secure a meeting with the Chief Justice of India amount to politicising the Supreme Court. In a candid interview, Salve described the request as "pure nonsense" designed to make the apex court a pawn in electoral calculations.

He reminded listeners that the CJI does not personally adjudicate every case; the Constitution delegates cases to specific benches, and those benches render judgments after hearing arguments. Salve stressed that any deviation from this process undermines the sanctity of judicial independence.

Salve highlighted that the Supreme Court has already issued balanced directives concerning protest permissions and law‑and‑order considerations. Yet, political actors continue to claim that the judiciary has lost public trust, a narrative Salve rejects as unfounded.

The former legal adviser also touched upon allegations of foreign funding behind certain protest movements, urging that such serious accusations be investigated by competent authorities rather than being wielded as political slogans.

Salve concluded by urging all parties to respect constitutional mechanisms, to use the courts for legitimate grievances, and to avoid turning the nation's highest judicial institution into a battlefield for partisan disputes.