As the Union Ministry of Law and Justice supported a badminton tournament between judges and lawyers, organised in London, activists back home frowned upon such an event when citizens were being told to follow austerity measures to tide over the crisis created by the West Asia conflict.
Organised by Abantika Deka, a former international badminton player and founder of Deka Events, the event, sponsored by the Union Ministry of Law, along with some corporate entities, took place in London on June 7.
A good number of judges and lawyers reportedly travelled to the UK to take part in the 2nd International Bar & Bench Badminton Championship.
However, it invited criticism from activists, including advocate Prashant Bhushan, who questioned the rationale behind the event when the Government expected citizens to follow austerity measures.
“An astounding Badminton tournament between Indian Judges & Lawyers is being sponsored in London today by the Law Ministry! Other sponsors are various corporates. Inaugurated by the CJI & Law Minister!Rs 150 judges & lawyers are participating! What happened to PM’s call for austerity? What of the code of conduct for Judges? What of the Independence of the judiciary? Abominable!” Bhushan posted on X.
“INTERESTING: When it’s summer in the national capital, judges and lawyers playing badminton tournament in London with CJI as chief guest! Guess everyone is entitled to a vacation! Q is: is any tax payer monies involved in the travel?” journalist Rajdeep Sardesai wrote on X.
“Indian judges and lawyers flying to London for a badminton tournament sponsored by the Law Ministry and corporates, while ordinary citizens are constantly lectured about austerity, fiscal discipline, sacrifice and nation-building. Apparently, austerity is only for the common taxpayer… Rules, ethics, cost-cutting, austerity and “doing more with less” are reserved for the public. The privileged class — politicians, bureaucrats, judges, senior lawyers and assorted VIPs — appear to operate under a different rulebook altogether,” Soumik Sengupta of AAP wrote in a social media post.
Last month, PM Modi suggested a ‘seven-point programme’ to mitigate the effects of the energy crisis created by the West Asia conflict and advised citizens s to cancel foreign travel and destination weddings, avoid gold purchases for at least one year, encourage work from home, cut fertiliser use by 50 per cent, reduce edible oil consumption, promote carpooling and public transport, encourage the use of electric vehicles for local transport and encourage Swadeshi products.
