13th December 2019
To,
The Honourable Chief Justice of India and Companion Judges
Supreme Court of India
New Delhi
Your Lordships,
PLEA NOT TO CONSIDER ATMARAM NADKARNI FOR APPOINTMENT AS SUPREME COURT JUDGE
Greetings from Goa!
By this letter may in public interest I most humbly seek your kind intervention to ensure that for the below mentioned compelling reasons the name of the very tainted Atmaram Nadkarni is not considered for the coveted post of Supreme Court Judge. More importantly as an officer of the Court, I would have abdicated in my bounden duty if I had not written this letter.
It is with deep anguish and utter dismay that we have learnt of now renewed secret back door machinations by the Additional Solicitor General of India Atmaram Nadkarni to try and get himself sneakingly elevated as a Judge of the Supreme Court of India. It would be the darkest day in the history of our Indian Judiciary if this were to ever be a reality.
Atmaram Nadkarni by his blatant acts of omission and commission brought utter and sheer disgrace to the high Constitutional post of Advocate General of Goa and now as Additional Solicitor General. He has recently been sacked by the Goa Government from appearing in the Madhei Water dispute after having looted the State in crores by his excessive billing. The Z security that was illegally given to Atmaram Nadkarni as Additional Solicitor General has now been rightly withdrawn by the Goa Government. Atmaram Nadkarni over the last two years was highhandedly enjoying an unprecedented security cover of around 22 police personnel around the clock which included an escort vehicle, while the Solicitor General of India and other Additional Solicitor Generals are assigned only one Personal Security Officer (PSO).
Professional ethics demands that a person occupying the high and solemn constitutional posts should never appear for a private party in a case where the government is directly or even indirectly a party but this cardinal principle has been brazenly flouted by Atmaram Nadkarni in his never ending penchant for raking in the moolah even by any unholy means.
Persons appointed to any Constitutional position should also never be someone who has a lust and greed for wealth or having vested interest with any lobby but has to always ensure the State’s best interests at heart. They should act as a role model while upholding impeccable integrity and the highest ethical standards. Being important Constitutional functionaries their conduct at all times must be absolutely beyond any shadow of doubt. But the flamboyant Atmaram Nadkarni is known to be a man without any principles and someone who would dip even into the gutter if the stakes are high.
As Advocate General of Goa and now Additional Solicitor General of India Atmaram Nadkarni has maintained close links with the Mining, Casino and Builder’s lobby while in violation of ethics and in conflict of interest has been appearing directly and indirectly in cases against the Government.
There needs to be a thorough probe into the mind boggling wealth and dubious assets acquired by Atmaram Nadkarni over the last few years. A report from the Intelligence Bureau if sought would reveal his very doubtful antecedents and conduct. It would also be worthwhile to conduct an inquiry as to the persons with whom he had been interacting either in Goa or in Delhi including the now fugitive Vijay Mallya and this would only prove that these unwanted characters would be a major embarrassment for the Judiciary. Despite representing the State of Goa, he chose to appear for the establishments of Vijay Mallya, to protect Mallya’s interests, with his office juniors even appearing on other sides, all part of the big well stitched game.
Besides other politicians the flamboyant Atmaram Nadkarni was known to be extremely close to late Manohar Parrikar, the former Defence Minister with both being privy to each other’s deals. Infact the manner in which Atmaram Nadkarni had been tagging Manohar Parrikar all along, he was rightly taunted as Manohar Parrikar’s ADC and Man Friday. They had even traveled together all the way to the infamous red light “Walking Street” of Pattaya in Bangkok. Manohar Parrikar later publicly clarified that their visit was not to have sex but that they merely enjoyed Thai massages. “Do I have to go so far for sex” is what Manohar Parrikar had the audacity of asking the journalists.
In Goa we have been witness to Atmaram Nadkarni’s skills of wining and dining Judges. It has been painful to see some very good Judges being led astray. It was so unfortunate that the wife of a now retired Bombay High Court Judge had to write to the then Chief Justice of our High Court that her husband be not posted in Goa. It would be worthwhile to examine how a Bombay High Court Judge was utterly corrupted by Atmaram Nadkarni to the extent that this good Judge was often to be found regularly enjoying the pleasures of life in a special room at a starred hotel, provided at the behest of Atmaram Nadkarni.
Alike the politicians it was a public sponsored Atmaram Nadkarni’s 50th birthday held on November 23rd 2013 at the five starred Taj Fort Aguada at Sinquerim in Goa. The party which had around 400 guests with imported Scotch whisky flowing through the night was estimated to have cost around Rs 20 lakhs with a bill of Rs 14 lakhs for food and alcohol issued in the name of then Calangute de-facto Sarpanch Joseph Sequeira who was in charge of collecting money from all and sundry to foot the bill of Atmaram Nadkarni’s that lavish birthday. The party was attended by some notorious elements including some of the prime accused in the Goa illegal mining scam.
If a person like Atmaram Nadkarni is allowed to occupy the August chair as Judge of the highest temple of Justice in our country, the Supreme Court will be reduced to a den for fixing matters – and become a trader’s paradise. And this what would be a Judicial catastrophic blunder under no circumstances can be allowed as the integrity and sanctity of the Honourable Supreme Court of India must be preserved at all cost.
I hope that Your Lordships will act appropriately in not considering the name of Atmaram Nadkarni in view of his sordid and gory background as stated above.
Caroline Kennedy had so very rightly said “The bedrock of our democracy is the rule of law and that means we have to have an independent judiciary, judges who can make decisions independent of the political winds that are blowing”
May I take this opportunity in wishing Your Lordships Season’s greetings and a Very Happy 2020
Yours most respectfully,
Adv. Aires Rodrigues
