NEW DELHI: Giving details of the meeting of the floor leaders of Rajya Sabha on March 25, Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar on Wednesday apprised the House that it was a “very fruitful interaction” on any concerns one might have regarding the National Judicial Appointment Commission (NJAC).
He also noted that the “deliberations were consensual, reflecting cooperation, concern”.
Before the start of ‘Zero Hour’, Dhankhar said, “I need to indicate to the House that we had a very fruitful interaction yesterday on the issue that is agitating the minds of the public. There was a gracious presence of leaders of political parties, including the Leader of the House and the Leader of the Opposition. Without going into the details, the deliberations were consensual, reflecting cooperation, concern, and the issue is not between institutions inter se.”
He went on to add saying: “It is not that the Executive, Legislature, or Judiciary are pitted against each other. All the institutions in the country have to function in tandem, in togetherness and also there are checks and balances which are well meant.”
The Chairman said that the meeting concluded with both the leader of the House and the Leader of Opposition of Rajya Sabha agreeing that they would discuss the issue with their respective parties and come for further deliberations.
It is to be noted that both the Leader of the House JP Nadda, and the Leader of Opposition, Mallikarjun Kharge are presidents of their parties – the BJP and the Congress, respectively.
“It has been given by both the Leader of the House and Leader of the Opposition that after having wider consultations amongst all concerned in their respective parties and otherwise, they would come to the Chairman for further deliberations. That was the conclusion after both the Leader of the House and the Leader of the Opposition had shared their thoughts along with others,” Dhankhar said.
Yesterday, as the Chairman of Rajya Sabha, Dhankhar pitched for the NJAC Act and stated that “things would have been different” if the legislation concerning judicial appointments had not been struck down by the Supreme Court.
“Now is the befitting occasion for all of us to reiterate that because that was a visionary step endorsed by Parliament. And imagine if that had taken place, things would have been different,” he added.
The meeting was held in the wake of allegations concerning Justice Yashwant Varma after a fire incident at his residence on March 14 led to the discovery of a substantial amount of cash. Justice Varma has vehemently denied the allegations, asserting that neither he nor his family owns the cash.