In the wake of the alleged recovery of unaccounted cash worth around Rs 15 crore from the official residence of Delhi High Court judge Justice Yashwant Varma, Vice-President and Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar held a meeting with the floor leaders of various political parties at Parliament House to discuss issues related to judicial accountability.
During the meeting held on Tuesday, Leader of the Opposition Mallikarjun Kharge reportedly raised the issue regarding the representation of Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and Other Backward Classes, lack of a transparent merit-based appointment system, as well as the ‘uncle judges’ syndrome in the judiciary.
Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Priyanka Chaturvedi told mediapersons that since the meeting remained inconclusive, the issue was likely to be discussed in the House in the coming week.
As per the sources, Trinamool MPs demanded the issue to be discussed on the Floor of the House.
Sources said the Centre was waiting for the report of the three-judge in-house committee appointed by Chief Justice of India Sanjiv Khanna to probe the alleged recovery of cash from Justice Varma’s official residence during a fire incident on March 14.
The Union government would build a consensus on the issue of judicial accountability and the possibility of reviving the National Judicial Appointments Committee (NJAC) Act, which was declared unconstitutional by the Supreme Court in 2015, added the sources.
The Vice-President had earlier said on Tuesday that it was the ‘right’ time to reiterate the NJAC Act that gave representation to the government in the judicial appointment panel.
He also held a meeting on Monday with Leader of the House JP Nadda and Leader of the Opposition Kharge on the issue.
During the meeting, Dhankhar, while referring to the NJAC Act, said what emanated from the Parliament was a historic development with a rare convergence of unity since Independence, which found acceptance by needed state legislatures.
He said it was a befitting occasion for everyone to reiterate and seek implementation of the NJAC Act. Imagine if it had taken place then, things would have been different, he added.
Keeping the dignity of the Rajya Sabha in mind, demonstrating a dignified conduct, the Parliament unanimously created a legal system in 2015 and that constitutional structure that emanated unanimously with one abstention from Parliament endorsed by state legislatures should be the rule of law because it was sanctified by the President by appending her signatures under Article 111, he added.
Dhankhar further said that he did not want to be judgemental on any issue, adding that one thing that found widespread acceptability in the country was that the entire material available with the Supreme Court had been shared with the people at large and with the constitution of a committee with that speed, he was sure things would become available to the citizens.
Noting that the country was at crossroads, he ‘strongly’ urged the Members of Parliament to reflect on the development. There could be no breach by any institution of what emanated from Parliament, endorsed by legislatures. It should be the mechanism holding the field, he added.
After seeing such extraordinarily painful scenario, it was time to take innocence at a very high level till someone was proven guilty, noted the Vice-President.