The Lok Sabha introduced four significant bills on Monday, including amendments to mines and minerals regulations, the establishment of a National Tribunals Commission, and the renaming of Kerala to Keralam, all while facing continuous protests from opposition members demanding a discussion on the July 20 police crackdown on students.
Supreme Court Justice Ujjal Bhuyan critically examined police conduct in India, raising serious concerns about alleged assaults on protesters, custodial torture, and the urgent need for comprehensive police reforms to uphold human rights and the rule of law.
Government on Monday brought into force a controversial law to appoint members to the higher judiciary, two days before a Constitution Bench of the Supreme Court hears a clutch of petitions challenging the National Judicial Appointments Commission Act.
Rijiju made the remarks while responding to Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, who dubbed as 'extremely dangerous' the government's move to ask the Supreme Court to include its nominees in collegium.
Before protesting against the State, the citizen should not have to ask: Sir, may I protest, please?, asserts Prem Panicker.
The Supreme Court said on Monday it will have to constitute a bench to hear a plea against the collegium system of appointment of judges to the apex court and high courts.
He said the legislature, the executive and the judiciary are bound to work within their respective domains as defined in the Constitution. Addressing the 80th All India Presiding Officers' Conference on 'Harmonious Coordination between Legislature, Executive and Judiciary -- Key to Vibrant Democracy', Naidu said harmony lies in each organ doing its job without interfering with that of the others.
Replying to questions in the Upper House of Parliament, the law minister said the Centre has limited powers over appointments of judges.
The National Commission for Women (NCW) has issued a comprehensive advisory to all states and Union Territories, recommending mandatory annual POSH audits and other measures to strengthen the implementation of the Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act, 2013. The advisory aims to ensure safe, inclusive, and gender-sensitive working environments for women across all sectors, emphasising institutional accountability, proper committee constitution, and robust awareness programmes.
The Congress' attack comes after Law Minister Rijiju wrote to Chief Justice of India D Y Chandrachud suggesting the inclusion of representatives from the Union and state governments in the Supreme Court and high court collegiums.
Fourth-term Bharatiya Janata Party MP Nishikant Dubey, one of the more vocal party members in the Lok Sabha, launched a broadside against the Supreme Court on Saturday, saying Parliament and state assemblies should be closed down if the apex court has to make the laws.
The Supreme Court will on Monday resume hearing arguments on the constitutional validity of the National Judicial Appointment Commission Act, notwithstanding the ongoing summer vacation.
A Calcutta High Court judge, Gaurang Kant, disclosed that his elder brother is a national spokesperson for the BJP while hearing Mamata Banerjee's petition challenging the Bhabanipur assembly seat poll result. Despite the disclosure, Banerjee's lawyer expressed full confidence in the judge.
He said he considers this duration as enough and would like to return to his practice.
Rajya Sabha Chairman C P Radhakrishnan rejected the opposition's motion to remove Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, citing a lack of evidence of misbehaviour and the fact that some charges are under judicial review.
Former India doubles player Purav Raja has called for a complete clean-up of Indian tennis administration, emphasising the need for accountability and transparency at all levels. He also questioned the eligibility of some office-bearers in the 2024 elections.
The Democratic Youth Federation of India (DYFI) has voiced concerns over the government's handling of the Justice (Retd) Biplab Kumar Sharma Commission report on irregularities in APSC examinations, alleging a weak stance in implementing its recommendations.
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.
There is a need to think about the collegium system so that appointments in higher judiciary can be accelerated," Rijiju said.
The National Judicial Commission Bill, 2022, was introduced after the majority of voice votes were in its favour.
The government and opposition were on Thursday united in criticising the functioning of the judiciary while seeking to scrap the collegium system of appointing judges to higher courts, saying it is essential to restore the delicate balance of power which has been disturbed.
'I have repeatedly been saying that the collegium system is the best available method of appointment of judges, but it needs some changes. This needs discussion. One important change is that the opacity of the government has to go. The government is more opaque than the collegium'
"When the matter reaches the SC collegium, there is a fully perfect situation, whether the name be accepted or not to be accepted. It's not as if it is a whimsical exercise taken by someone. It's a fool proof arrangement," he said.
'Looking at the situation purely on its Constitutional merits, the governor's conduct is defensible.' 'He is saying: You do not have a majority, so prove it. That is not an unreasonable position even if the timing and the political context make it deeply controversial.'
'It is a very vital issue and we cannot keep it pending. We intend to pass an order as to who will hear the matter.'
The NJAC Act, which sought to overturn the collegium system of appointing Supreme Court and high court judges, was struck down by the top court in 2015.
'Workers are the people who create all the wealth in this country. How can you call them anti-national?'
The Supreme Court has got four new judges with President Pranab Mukherjee signing their warrants of appointment on Wednesday.
Justice J S Khehar will be sworn in on January 4 and will hold the tenure for over seven months till August 27, 2017.
The Supreme Court on Friday issued a show cause notice to advocate M L Sharma for making "irresponsible" and "scandalous" allegations in his PIL challenging the new law on appointment of judges for higher judiciary, saying "this is not a political platform".
Justice Chandrachud also dealt with questions about criticism by eminent lawyers on the allocation of cases to particular judges and 'bench hunting', and said the allocation of cases is not "lawyer-driven" and vowed to maintain the credibility of the institution of the Supreme Court.
In a recent report, the Department-related Standing Committee on Law and Justice and Personnel said it expects the government and the judiciary to finalise the revised MoP, 'which is more efficient and transparent', in terms of a Supreme Court observation.
While naming him as the NDA candidate for the Vice President's post, the BJP had described him as 'Kisan putra', a move seen in the political circles aimed at reaching out to the politically significant Jat community which had participated in huge numbers in the year-long farmers' protests against agriculture reform measures unveiled in June 2020.
He was sent to judicial custody on May 9 and lodged in Tihar jail after his custodial interrogation by the NIA.
'The (Collegium system of appointing judges) is absolutely whimsical.'
Law Minister Kiren Rijiju on Tuesday said it was a "matter of grave concern" that certain portions of sensitive reports of the Intelligence Bureau and Research and Analysis Wing were put in public domain by the Supreme Court collegium.
"We have a stake (in judges' appointments) and we will continue to pursue that stake in consultation with the Supreme Court and the high courts to expedite the appointments," Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said on his first day in office.
Vacancies in high courts continue to mount with the collegium which made a comeback three months ago yet to recommend fresh names for the posts, including that of chief justices to eight of them.
At a time when there is no mechanism in place to appoint or elevate judges to the higher judiciary, 8 high court judges have retired in a month, raising the vacancies from 384 in August to 392 this month.
The Centre expressed its inability before the SC in formulating the draft Memorandum of Procedure for appointment of judges.
