Kapil Sibal Slams V-P Dhankhar Over Remarks Targeting Judiciary, Calls It ‘Unconstitutional’
Rajya Sabha member Kapil Sibal on Friday lashed out at Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar for his remarks targeting the judiciary over setting a timeline for presidential decisions, calling the comments “unconstitutional.” Sibal noted that he had never witnessed a Rajya Sabha chairman make such politically charged statements before.
A day after Jagdeep Dhankhar made sharp criticism against the judiciary, Kapil Sibal asserted that the Lok Sabha Speaker and the Rajya Sabha Chairman should maintain neutrality without siding with anyone and act as spokespersons for any political party.
"Everyone knows that the Lok Sabha Speaker's chair is in between. He or she is the Speaker of the House, not the speaker of one party. They also don't vote, they only vote when there is a tie. The same is with the upper house. You are equidistant between the opposition and the ruling party," PTI quoted a senior advocate as saying at a press conference.
"Everything you say must be equidistant. No speaker can be the spokesperson of a party. I don't say that he (Dhankhar) is but no Speaker in principle can be the spokesperson of any party. If it appears so then the dignity of the chair is lowered," Sibal emphasised.
On Thursday, Dhankhar had questioned the judiciary's authority to impose timelines on the president, likening it to functioning as a “super Parliament.”
Dhankhar's statements to the judiciary followed amid his speech to Rajya Sabha interns, days after the Supreme Court ordered that a timeframe be fixed for the president to grant assent to the bills reserved for her consideration by the governor.
"So, we have judges who will legislate, who will perform executive functions, who will act as super Parliament and absolutely have no accountability because the law of the land does not apply to them," Dhankhar added.
He also accused the Supreme Court of wielding Article 142 like a “nuclear missile” against democratic institutions.
In response to Dhankhar's remarks, Sibal said, "If you give such statements it will look as if judiciary is being taught a lesson. It Is not neutral and not constitutional." The judiciary should not be attacked in this manner by the executive, especially two ministers - Arjun Ram Meghwal and Kiren Rijiju - and the chairman of the house, as the judiciary cannot defend itself.
"Then the polity must defend the judiciary. Independence of the judiciary is fundamental to democracy in the country. What is being done is unconstitutional," he added.
"I have never seen any chairman of the House make political statements of this nature. Even the BJP chairman in the past (have not done so)," Sibal also said, adding disappointment and concern over Dhankhar’s statements.
Congress's Supriya Shrinate Criticises Vice-President
Meanwhile, Congress leader Supriya Shrinate also launched an attack on the Vice-President, emphasising to look into the Governor's behaviour before talking about their power.
Without being specific, she accused the Governors of constantly stopping the passed laws and creating hindrances, along with pushing RSS's agenda.
"The Vice President, before talking about the powers of the Governor, he should look at their (Governors) behaviour. They are constantly stopping the laws passed by the state government, creating obstacles, pushing the agenda of the RSS...Today, the Raj Bhavan is full of such people who are promoting the agenda of the RSS," ANI quoted Shrinate as saying.
ALSO READ | ‘Judges Acting as Super Parliament’: V-P Dhankhar Slams SC Deadline For Bill-Clearance By President
india