Official records support the CJI

NEW DELHI, OCT. 21. Though the former Law Minister, Mr. Ram Jethmalani, has expressed doubts over the ``real age'' of the Chief Justice, Dr. A. S. Anand, in his new book, records support the latter.

The records show the Chief Justice's matriculation certificate shows his date of birth as November 1, 1936. His passport, issued in 1960, gives the same date.

Mr. Jethmalani, referring to the enrolment of Dr. Justice Anand with the Bar Council of Delhi writes, ``the records show that Dr. Anand claimed to have been born on November 1, 1936. But he also claimed that his matriculation certificates had been misplaced.''

``There is no evidence,'' he says, ``that Dr. Anand ever produced the matriculation certificate which he affirmed have been misplaced.'' To a query from the President's office last year, the Law Ministry had written in April 28, 1999, saying ``we do not see any need to reopen the matter,'' according to the official records.

The Ministry had cited the May 16, 1991, communication from the President's secretary which referred to petitions on Mr. Justice Anand's age and said ``the records have been perused and the matter considered by the President in consultation with the Chief Justice of India (Justice Ranganath Mishra).''

``The President has come to the conclusion that the petitions of Mr. S. K. Sundaram, in respect of the age of Dr. justice A. S. Anand, Chief Justice of the Madras High Court, be rejected,'' the 1991 communication from the President's office had said.

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