BJP spokesperson in 2024, Bombay HC judge in 2025: Why Aarti Sathe’s appointment sparked a political storm

The appointment of lawyer Aarti Arun Sathe as a judge in the Bombay High Court has stirred up a political storm with the opposition highlighting her pevious tenure as a spokesperson of the Bharatiya Janata Party’s Maharashtra unit.

 

Sathe was among the three lawyers—the others being Ajit Bhagwanrao Kadethankar and Sushil Manohar Ghodeswar—whose appointments as judges were approved by the Collegium on July 28.

 

Sathe was the party spokesperson from February 2023 to January 2024. She also served as the legal head of the Mumbai BJP. On January 6, 2024, she quit her posts and the primary membership of the party, citing “personal and professional” reasons.

 

However, both the Congress and the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) are not convinced, as they claimed that Sathe’s previous stint in the saffron party would impact the impartiality of the judicial system.

 

“RIP judicial integrity,” Congress leader Supriya Shrinate wrote on X while sharing a screenshot of the appointment letter.

 

Congress Legislature Party leader Vijay Wadettiwar echoed similar sentiments and asked: “If a person who has been a BJP spokesperson becomes a judge, will the public receive justice and will the Constitution be protected?”.

 

NCP (SP) MLA Rohit Pawar also questioned Sathe’s appointment and said it would impact the impartiality of the judicial system.

 

Pawar, while stating that he was not objecting to Sathe’s qualifications, sought a reconsideration of the decision and said the Chief Justice should also provide guidance on this matter.

 

Rajya Sabha member and All India Trinamool Congress (TMC) spokesperson Saket Gokhale, too, flagged the issue of the former BJP spokesperson being elevated as a HC judge. 

 

The BJP, however, defended Sathe’s appointment, noting that she had resigned from the party last year. 

 

“It has been one and a half years since Sathe resigned from the BJP. She now has no connection with the BJP. The Congress and Rohit Pawar are criticising the collegium decision,” said BJP chief spokesperson Keshav Upadhye.

 

Accoriding to an Indian Express report, Sathe has over 20 years of experience as a lawyer and she primarily dealt with tax disputes, and cases before SEBI, Securities Appellate Tribunal, and Customs, Excise and Service Tax Appellate Tribunal (CESTAT). She also handled matrimonial disputes before the Bombay High Court.

India