New Delhi, Nov 03: Senior Congress leader Arjun Singh today accused the government of undermining the "sanctity and importance" of judicial process in the appointment of former Commerce Secretary Deepak Chatterjee as Competition Commission Chairman. Referring to the Supreme Court's observations on a writ petition challenging the appointment, Singh said here in a statement that "The Supreme Court has sounded a serious note of warning even as the muffled steps of fascist forces are echoing in the corridors of power".

He said it was surprising that there has been no reaction to this unprecedented attempt by the government of those who cherished the values enshrined in the constitution. "Every person who treats the Supreme Court as the protector of the constitution has to sit up and take notice," he said. Singh, who is a member of the Rajya Sabha, said, "It is in this manner that democratic rights and privileges are trampled upon and the polity in this country can ignore these signals only at its own peril."

He said a very determined opposition was called for from all corners of the country if people wanted to prevent a "blatant and unprecedented attempt" by the present government to subvert the constitution.
The Supreme Court had on October 31 expressed serious objection to the Centre's decision to appoint a retired bureaucrat as chairman of the competition commission saying it was "direct attempt" to encroach upon judiciary. Bureau Report