Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar on Thursday questioned the judiciary setting a timeline for the President to take decisions and act as a "super Parliament", saying the Supreme Court cannot fire a "nuclear missile" at democratic forces.
Parliamentary sovereignty cannot be permitted to be diluted or compromised by the executive or the judiciary, he said in his strongest remarks yet against alleged judicial interference in the working of Parliament.
Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju on Wednesday underlined the government's resolve to take all political parties on board in moving an impeachment motion against Justice Yashwant Varma, saying corruption in the judiciary cannot be approached through a 'political prism'.
'They mean business, but business as usual is unacceptable to them'
'The quality of justice is directly linked to the quality of judges -- if that suffers, justice delivery suffers.'
A lawyer allegedly attempted to throw a shoe at Chief Justice of India BR Gavai during court proceedings. Security intervened, and the lawyer was removed from the premises. The CJI remained composed and continued with the proceedings.
Supreme Court Justice B V Nagarathna dissented against the collegium's recommendation to elevate Patna High Court Chief Justice Vipul Manubhai Pancholi to the Supreme Court, citing concerns about seniority, regional representation, and the circumstances of his earlier transfer.
Former Union Law Minister Ashwani Kumar has argued for replacing the existing collegium system for judicial appointments, asserting that public sentiment leans toward an alternative mechanism, potentially resembling the National Judicial Appointments Commission (NJAC). He believes that the government has the authority to propose a revised constitutional amendment for judicial appointments that would withstand judicial scrutiny. Kumar also urged the Supreme Court to establish a robust internal process to address concerns within the judiciary, including allegations against judges.
A bench comprising Chief Justice B R Gavai and Justices Augustine George Masih and AS Chandurkar also directed that the offending video be immediately taken down and restrained the YouTube channel from republishing it or similar content.
Chief Justice of India (CJI) D Y Chandrachud on Tuesday said the greatest challenge before the Indian judiciary is to eliminate barriers to accessing justice and make sure that the judiciary is inclusive and accessible to the last person in the line.
'If you were to say today that the government should appoint judges to the high courts and Supreme Court, then I think that even those few good judges that we are getting today we would not get them.'
The BJP had no option but to get Jagdeep Dhankhar out of its way for the sake of the Modi government's stability, reveals Sheela Bhatt, the legendary political journalist.
As judges are not elected, they do not face public scrutiny but people watch them and make assessment about them from the way they deliver justice, Law Minister Kiren Rijiju said on Monday.
The Centre has argued before the Supreme Court that state governments cannot use writ jurisdiction to challenge the actions of the President and Governor regarding bills passed by state assemblies, particularly concerning fundamental rights violations. The President seeks the Supreme Court's opinion on whether states can file writ petitions under Article 32 and the scope of Article 361.
The BJP on Saturday disassociated itself from the criticism of the Supreme Court by its MPs Nishikant Dubey and Dinesh Sharma. Party president J P Nadda rejected the comments as their personal views and affirmed the ruling party's respect for the judiciary as an inseparable part of democracy. Nadda said he has directed both the leaders and other members of the party to not make such comments.
He said discussions were held on this issue later but no effort was made to remove them from the preamble.
He also appealed to the protesters to park their vehicles only in the designated parking areas, hours after the high court frowned on the conduct of protesters.
Soon after the verdict, celebrations broke out outside Lt Colonel Purohit's residence, where supporters burst firecrackers and distributed sweets to mark the court's decision.
The blame must be shared by the investigating agencies, the government of the day and the nation at large, points out Colonel Anil A Athale (retd).
'Is the idea of a committed judiciary once again being floated, though surreptitiously, unlike in the past when it was direct?'
Jagdeep Dhankhar's sudden resignation as Vice President has led to speculation about underlying political tensions and disagreements with the ruling alliance.
Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar stated that the Preamble of the Indian Constitution is fundamental and unchangeable, comparing it to parenthood. He also criticized the alteration of the Preamble during the Emergency era, amidst calls for review of certain terms.
'The current Election Commission functions more like a government department than an autonomous body.'
'If we stay silent now, we betray the very foundation of justice in this country.'
A group of retired judges has criticized Home Minister Amit Shah's remarks about opposition vice-presidential candidate B Sudershan Reddy and the Salwa Judum judgement, calling them 'unfortunate'.
Rider Fateh Jahan Singh Dhaliwal, aged 16, has also approached the court, through his mother, seeking quashing of the list of selected athletes and requested "further directions to conduct the shortlisting of riders for the Asian Youth Games".
A year after a young woman doctor was raped and murdered in Kolkata, her parents express their disappointment with the investigation and their continued pursuit of justice.
'Shock, confusion, and paralysis reigned.' 'Pakistan was caught in a most embarrassing situation. It could neither claim credit for the operation nor admit to a dismal intelligence failure and lack of army preparedness.'
"The moment we let technology take the driver's seat in the legal system, we begin to erode the public's faith in us and with it, the foundations of the rule of law," CJI Gavai added.
The Supreme Court has deleted its critical observation against Allahabad High Court judge Prashant Kumar, clarifying that it did not intend to embarrass or cast aspersions on him. The decision follows a request from Chief Justice B R Gavai to reconsider the matter.
A controversy had arisen over his stay at the official residence of CJI at 5, Krishna Menon Marg, New Delhi, beyond permissible time.
The Congress party has accused the BJP of engaging in "damage control" after the party distanced itself from comments made by two of its MPs, Nishikant Dubey and Dinesh Sharma, criticizing the Supreme Court. Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh stated that the BJP's clarification was merely an attempt to mitigate the damage caused by the MPs' remarks and that the party's actions were hypocritical, given the silence of the BJP president on similar comments made by other party members.
The minister pointed out that more than five crore cases are pending before various courts across the country.
'Even if this Bill passes in Parliament, it will reasonably face judicial scrutiny. 'One can reasonably expect challenges in the Supreme Court questioning its Constitutional validity.'
'His willingness to take the initiative to fight for truth and justice and his willingness to cross swords with anyone for a just cause.'
Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla admitted a notice for the removal of High Court judge Justice Yashwant Varma and constituted a three-member committee to probe charges against him.
Lok Sabha will consider a motion to remove Justice Yashwant Varma due to a suspected corruption case, after a similar motion in Rajya Sabha was not admitted. The move follows a unanimous decision by political parties to address perceived corruption in the judiciary.
Newly sworn-in Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud on Monday asked Supreme Court and high court judges to shun "colonial mindset" and the "culture of subordination" while dealing with district court judges, saying the country needs to move towards a "more modern and equal judiciary".
Chief Justice of India Justice B R Gavai on Friday praised Justice Bela M Trivedi for her career trajectory from the subordinate judiciary all the way up to the Supreme Court, where she became the eleventh woman judge to be appointed in its history.
The Supreme Court questioned Justice Yashwant Varma's conduct regarding an in-house inquiry panel report that found him guilty of misconduct in a cash discovery row. The court raised concerns about his delayed challenge to the inquiry and the implications of the panel's recommendations.
