The opposition has nominated former Supreme Court judge, B. Sudershan Reddy, as their Vice President candidate, and on 22 August, the Home Minister accused him of promoting Naxal ideology creating a wave of perspective, some in support of his opinion, while many were against it. Amit Shah made the statements in Kochi, while referring to the 2011 case where Justice Reddy authored a judgment banning Salwa Judum, a defence force protecting against Naxal uprising. At the Manorma News Conclave, the Home Minister said that if the judgment in 2011 had not been passed to ban the force, Naxalism would have ended by 2020.
He also accused Reddy of being biased towards a particular ideology. In the unpopular Nandini Sundar vs State of Chhattisgarh case, the bench consisting of Justice B. Sudershan Reddy and S.S. Nijjar made the judgment that banned the then active Salwa Judum group, a state-sponsored armed force of the tribals to protect themselves from the Maoist uprising in Chhattisgarh. The judgment rules that using the youth as Special Police Officers violates the Constitution and hence declared it illegal. The group was thereafter banned, and its funding was also completely stopped.
The ruling also criticised the government for following an iron-fist approach without understanding the socio-economic problems and corruption that have led to the insurgencies in the state. After the Home Minister made these comments, Justice Reddy also issued a statement, wherein he stated that the judgment in 2011 was a Supreme Court judgment and not his personal opinion. He also said that he does not want to debate on political matters with Amit Shah.
Several other former judges of the Supreme Court and High Court have also criticised Shah’s remarks. They have stated that the vice-presidential elections can take political turns, but must maintain the dignity of an individual and not resort to personal accusations. The statement released by senior judges has also noted that this kind of treatment of a Supreme Court judgement by a senior politician undermines the sanctity and importance of the court and must not be encouraged. The poll for the position of the Vice-President is to start from 9th September, where Justice Reddy will stand against NDA’s nominee, C.P. Radhakrishnan.
