Mamata's request to CJI: 'Please see to it that there are no political biases in judiciary'

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Saturday said that the judiciary should remain free of political biases.

“It is not my intention to humiliate or manhandle anyone but my kind submission, please see to it that there are no political biases in the judiciary. The judiciary must be pure, absolutely pure…," Banerjee said while addressing the ‘East Zone-II Regional Conference: National Judicial Academy’ held in Kolkata.

She criticized the Central government for not funding fast-track courts, saying, “We have 88 fast-track courts in our state. The Government of India used to provide financial assistance for these courts but stopped seven to eight years ago. We are the only state running 88 fast-track courts, with 55 dedicated to women.”

She highlighted her government's commitment to the judiciary by mentioning that they provided Rs 1,000 crore for its development and allocated land for a new high court in Kolkata's Rajarhat area. "If the judiciary cannot help common people, where will they get justice?" she questioned.

During the Lok Sabha election campaign, Banerjee criticized the Calcutta High Court's decision to cancel all appointments made through a 2016 teacher recruitment test. She claimed that BJP leaders were influencing parts of the judiciary.

“The court verdict cancelling all recruitments is illegal. We stand by those who lost their jobs. We will ensure you get justice, and challenge the order in a higher court,” she said, adding “I will not name any judge, but I am talking about the verdict. If you had pointed out the mistakes and directed us to correct them, we could have easily done that. Anybody can make a mistake; I do not look after everything. The education department is a separate one. There are different departments like the SSC, the primary board, and the college commission.”

Echoing Banerjee's sentiments, CJI Chandrachud stressed that judges should not let personal beliefs influence their rulings. He mentioned cases where judges denied protection to interfaith couples without parental consent.

"We are servants of the Constitution, not masters," he said. He also warned against seeing judges as deities, emphasizing their duty to serve citizens seeking justice.