Synopsis
On March 26, Vice President and Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar emphasized the necessity for the executive, legislature, and judiciary to work in harmony. His remarks followed discussions on a significant cash discovery linked to a High Court judge, highlighting the importance of judicial accountability.Key Takeaways
- The executive, legislature, and judiciary must collaborate.
- Recent discussions addressed judicial accountability.
- Significant cash was found at a judge's residence.
- Reaffirmation of NJAC is deemed necessary.
- Leaders from various parties engaged in the dialogue.
New Delhi, March 26 (NationPress) The Vice President and Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar stated on Wednesday that the executive, legislature, and judiciary are not in opposition to one another; instead, all institutions within the country must operate collaboratively with appropriate checks and balances.
Dhankhar made these remarks while addressing the discovery of a substantial sum of cash at the official residence of a Delhi High Court judge.
The Chairman convened a meeting with senior Rajya Sabha leaders regarding this matter, which included the Leader of the House and the Leader of the Opposition.
Following this meeting, he informed the House on Wednesday, “I want to convey to the House that we had a very productive discussion yesterday regarding the issue that concerns the public. The meeting saw the participation of political party leaders, including the Leader of the House and the Leader of the Opposition. Without delving into specifics, the discussions were cooperative and reflected a mutual concern; this is not a conflict between institutions.”
He added, “Both the Leader of the House and the Leader of the Opposition indicated that after broader consultations within their parties, they would approach the Chairman for further discussions. This was the outcome after both leaders shared their perspectives alongside others.”
Several opposition MPs, including Opposition Leader Mallikarjun Kharge, pressed the Chairman to address this critical issue. On March 21, Congress MP Jairam Ramesh brought the matter to the Chairman's attention, alleging that a significant amount of currency was found at the residence of the High Court judge in Delhi, raising concerns about judicial accountability.
In response, the Rajya Sabha Chairman met with Leader of the House J.P. Nadda and Leader of the Opposition Mallikarjun Kharge. At Kharge's request, the Chairman also engaged in extensive discussions with the floor leaders of all parties.
On Tuesday, Dhankhar mentioned that it is an opportune moment to reaffirm the National Judicial Appointments Committee (NJAC) Act, which was deemed unconstitutional by the Supreme Court in 2015. “This House, maintaining dignity and demonstrating proper conduct, unanimously established a legal framework in 2015, which was endorsed by the state legislatures. This constitutional structure should prevail as it was validated by the Hon'ble President under Article 111. Now is the ideal time for us to reiterate that, as it was a visionary step supported by Parliament. Just imagine how different things could have been had that come to fruition,” he remarked.
