'Fixer lawyers' facilitating bribery of judges; intelligence agencies should pass details to Collegium: Mahesh Jethmalani

Senior Advocate Mahesh Jethmalani on Monday sounded caution against "fixer lawyers" who facilitate bribery of judges. .He said that the details of such lawyers are known to everyone at the bar and are probably available to intelligence agencies as well and the same should be communicated to the Supreme Court Collegium.."There cannot be corruption in the judiciary or tribunals without fixer lawyers who game the entire legal system by facilitating bribery. Everyone at the Bar knows who they are. Their names are probably available to intelligence agencies and ought to be communicated to the Supreme Court Collegium, if not already done so," he said.Jethmalani was delivering the welcome address at the 6th Ram Jethmalani Memorial Lecture in New Delhi..There cannot be corruption in the judiciary or tribunals without fixer lawyers who game the entire legal system by facilitating briberyMahesh Jethmalani.Jethmalani also took strong exception the functioning of bar councils, particularly how the tenure of the current chairperson was attempted to be extended by 5 years in violation of law. He termed the attempt a "crying shame"."It is also a crying shame that there was an attempt to perpetuate the Chairman of the Bar Council of India for a period of five years, up to 2030, instead of the prescribed two-year tenure under the Act," he said..It is also a crying shame that there was an attempt to perpetuate the Chairman of the Bar Council of India for a period of five years up to 2030.Mahesh Jethmalani.In this regard, he highlighted how a petition before the Supreme Court has highlighted nepotism and corruption by bar council functionaries"The petition before the Supreme Court also alleges nepotism and corruption by officers of the Bar Council and an attempt to control a trust vested with important functions in perpetuity. They may cease to be Bar Council members, but they can continue to be on this very valuable trust," Jethamalani said.He was alluding to how a recent petition before the top court had pointed out that the assets and income of the original Bar Council of India Trust were transferred to a new trust, namely the PEARL Trust, which is being managed by eleven trustees who are BCI functionaries.Notably, the eleven managing trustees are allowed to continue as trustees regardless of whether they continue to be BCI members..[Read Live Coverage]