A A Rahim flays appointment of ex-SC judge Nazeer as AP Governor

Thiruvananthapuram: A A Rahim, a Member of Parliament (MP) from Kerala, has termed the appointment of Justice Syed Abdul Nazeer, who retired from the Supreme Court recently, as the Governor of Andhra Pradesh a scar on Indian democracy.

Rahim, a Rajya Sabha MP, alleged that Justice Nazeer’s judgments often violated the spirit of the Constitution and failed to maintain the impartiality expected from the higher judiciary. In a Facebook post, Rahim pointed out Justice Nazeer’s judgment in the Ayodhya case and observations related to ‘Manusmriti’ (ancient Hindu book of law).

Here are the excerpts from the MP’s post:
Justice Syed Abdul Nazeer retired from the Supreme Court only on January 4 this year and in barely six weeks, he was appointed as the Governor of Andhra Pradesh.

He was part of the Supreme Court Bench which delivered the verdict in the Ayodhya case. Justice Nazeer’s speech at the national council meeting of the Akhil Bharatiya Adhivakta Parishad held at Hyderabad on December 26, 2021 was also controversial.

The Parishad is a Sangh Parivar organization. In his speech, Justice Nazeer observed that the Indian legal system was, over the years, ignoring the great tradition of ‘Manusmriti.’

Justice Nazeer’s words do not reflect the impartiality and adherence to the spirit of the Constitution expected from a senior judge.

The latest move of the Central government to appoint Justice Nazeer as a Governor violates Constitutional tenets. In fact, the decision should be severely condemned.

To be fair, Justice Nazeer has to turn down the Centre’s offer. This is necessary to prevent loss of the people’s trust in the country’s judicial system.

Such decisions by the Narendra Modi Government leave a scar on Indian democracy.