PIL filed in Supreme Court over allegations of honey trapping Karnataka judges, ministers

A public interest litigation petition has been filed before the Supreme Court seeking a court monitored probe by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) into the honey-trap scandal in Karnataka involving a senior minister and 48 others — including legislators, netas and judges. .The petition filed by a Jharkhand based advocate, Binay Kumar Singh, was mentioned before Chief Justice of India (CJI) Sanjiv Khanna who said that it will be listed tomorrow. .The allegation of honey trap was raised by Congress’s Minister for Cooperation KN Rajanna in the State assembly on March 20.He alleged that he had been a target of a “honey-trapping” attempt by a gang that had also targeted 47 others across party lines including judges.The incident caused un uproar leading to calls for probe.Meanwhile, protests in the assembly against it led to the suspension of 18 BJP MLAs.According to the petitioner, judges getting compromised by means like honey trapping poses serious threat to judicial independence and gravely undermines public confidence in the institution."An independent judiciary is the cornerstone of any democracy. Judges are expected to uphold the law without fear, favor, or external influence. However, if allegations of judges being honey-trapped hold any truth, it raises alarming concerns about the erosion of judicial independence, which, in turn, threatens the very fabric of democracy," the petition states.As per the petitioner, if judges fall prey to such schemes, their ability to render impartial verdicts is severely compromised and they may be coerced into delivering judgments that favor their blackmailers rather than adhering to legal principles and justice."A judiciary tainted by external influence ceases to be a check on executive and legislative overreach. If judges are susceptible to blackmail, the courts may no longer serve as the bulwark against authoritarianism, corruption, or corporate greed," the petition says. .[Read Live Coverage]