NEW DELHI: The BJP on Thursday hit out at the Congress for attacking it over not approving the Supreme Court collegium’s recommendation to elevate Justice KM Joseph to the apex court.
Senior BJP leader Ravi Shankar Prasad tore into the Congress, saying it is the Opposition party which has superseded “inconvenient” judges in the past. Prasad, who is also the Union law minister added that the Congress has a record of “giving unfair and unconstitutional treatment to judiciary is well known”. “It is littered with repeated instances of superseding inconvenient judges and compromising independence of judiciary,” he said.
The senior BJP leader also cited the Emergency to point out how the Congress had tried to suppress the judiciary in those days. He said the Emergency was imposed just a day after a 1975 verdict from the Allahabad High Court which pronounced then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi guilty of electoral malpractices and barred her from holding elected posts.
“Why was the Emergency imposed...? Real provocation for imposition of emergency was the Allahabad HC judgment... Reflects their outlook about judiciary. Legendary judge HR Khanna was denied and superseded for the post of Chief Justice of India, that is their (the Congress) record,” Prasad said. Prasad added that it was his party and his party colleagues who fought for freedom of judiciary during the Emergency days. “Congress should stop lecturing us. We have always stood for freedom of the judiciary, and we have full commitment towards its independence. “
The Congress and the BJP have been targeting each other since the unprecedented press conference by the four most senior judges of the Supreme Court in January. The battle has accentuated since the apex court’s verdict dismissing the demand for an independent investigation into the death of special CBI judge BH Loya.
Last week, seven Opposition parties led by the Congress sought impeachment of CJI Dipak Misra.
The prompt decision of Vice-President Venkaiah Naidu to reject the notice became the next flashpoint for the Opposition’s fight against the NDA government.