The keyboard-happy ex-judge had tweeted:
I regard Shazia Ilmi much more beautiful than Kiran Bedi. If Shazia had been made their C.M. candidate BJP wud have definitely won the Delhi
— Markandey Katju (@mkatju) January 30, 2015
elections. People vote for beautiful faces, as in Croatia. Even a person like me who does not vote wud have voted for Shazia.
— Markandey Katju (@mkatju) January 30, 2015
It didn't take long for the flak to rain down.
Somewhere someone in Justice Katju Sb's family is holding their head going "why dear God, WHY??" — Omar Abdullah (@abdullah_omar) January 30, 2015
Right now, Arvind Kejriwal is busy putting a facial, in a bid to get Justice Katju's vote. — Ramesh Srivats (@rameshsrivats) January 30, 2015
The former judge soon attempted to extricate himself from the hole he had dug for himself. He took to Twitter to state:
Some people objected to my last tweet. My response is : develop a sense of humour. The tweet was in lighter vein,& shud be construed as such
— Markandey Katju (@mkatju) January 30, 2015
Shortly after, he made an entry on his blog.
What is wrong with some of you people ? Can't an old man like me admire a beautiful woman ? By admiring a beautiful flower I am not plucking it, and by admiring a beautiful garden from a distance I am not tresspassing onto it. Similarly, if I admire a beautiful woman I am not misbehaving with her, or taking liberties with her.
By then, it was too late. Social media were already having a whale of a time making jokes about Katju.
RT free_thinker: Markandey Katju doesn't just put his foot into his mouth, he pushes it right down into his intestine.
— Rahul Upadhyay (@upadhyayrahul55) January 30, 2015
Markandey Katju finally fulfills ambition of becoming CJI - Chief Joker of India
— RushdieExplainsIndia (@RushdieExplains) January 30, 2015
Instead of Supreme Court.. Katju should have been judge in Beauty Contests.
— Ankur Singh (@BihariTweeter) January 30, 2015
Je ne suis pas Justice Katju
— Shahnawaz Khan (@shahnawazk) January 30, 2015