Supreme Court Rebukes Political Influence in Prosecutor Appointments

The Supreme Court criticized state governments for appointing public prosecutors based on political considerations, compromising merit and justice. The court emphasized the duty of law officers to assist in attaining justice while ensuring appointments reflect merit. The ruling highlighted errors and political influence in prosecutor appointments across the country.

The Supreme Court on Wednesday criticized the ongoing practice of appointing public prosecutors in high courts based on political considerations, warning that such favoritism and nepotism undermine merit. The judges highlighted the responsibility of both defense counsel and public prosecutors to correct judicial errors.

Justices J B Pardiwala and R Mahadevan stressed that law officers are crucial to the judicial system, which seeks justice for wrongdoers. They underscored the need for appointments in high courts to be based on merit rather than political bias, emphasizing the independent role of public prosecutors in the criminal justice system.

The court's decision came amid appeals against a Punjab-Haryana High Court order and outlined the duty of prosecutors to aid the court in fair judgments. The Supreme Court reversed a previous verdict, criticized the lack of opportunity for hearing given to the appellants, and mandated compensation for wrongful convictions.

(With inputs from agencies.)