The appointment of a former Supreme Court judge, Justice Abdul S Nazeer, as Governor six weeks after his retirement, has become the latest flashpoint between the Congress and the BJP, reigniting the debate over the mandatory cooling off period for judges post-retirement.
The Congress has cited a remark of the late Arun Jaitley, former law minister and one of the biggest legal luminaries of the BJP, to make its case. But Kiren Rijiju, who now handles the law ministry, tweeted, “They should better understand that, they can no more treat India as their personal fiefdom”.
“The Whole Eco-system is once again in full swing on the appointment of a Governor. They should better understand that, they can no more treat India as their personal fiefdom. Now, India will be guided by the people of India as per the provisions of the Constitution of India,” Rijiju’s tweet read.
The Whole Eco-system is once again in full swing on the appointment of a Governor.
They should better understand that, they can no more treat India as their personal fiefdom. Now, India will be guided by the people of India as per the provisions of the Constitution of India.— Kiren Rijiju (@KirenRijiju) February 12, 2023
Justice Nazeer, who was part of several ground-breaking judgments including the Ayodhya Ram Janambhoomi case, demonetization and Triple Talaq, was one of the six new faces appointed as Governors by President Droupadi Murmu.
Citing the late BJP leader and former law minister Arun Jaitley’s remarks against such appointments, the Congress said the move was a “great threat” to the independence of the judiciary.
Congress general secretary and communications in-charge Jairam Ramesh tweeted the video of Arun Jaitley’s comment in 2012 that “pre-retirement judgements are influenced by post-retirement jobs… It is a threat to the Independence of the judiciary”.
“Adequate proof of this in the past 3-4 years for sure,” read the caption added by Mr Ramesh.
Adequate proof of this in the past 3-4 years for sure https://t.co/33TZaGKr8x
— Jairam Ramesh (@Jairam_Ramesh) February 12, 2023
“We are not talking about persons or individuals,” Congress’s Abhishek Manu Singhvi later clarified at a press conference.
“Personally, I have very great respect for this person (Justice Nazeer). I know him, it is not about him at all. As a matter of principle we oppose it, as a matter of principle we believe it is a matter of great diminution and a great threat to the Independence of the judiciary,” Singhvi said, citing Arun Jaitley’s remarks.
With inputs from NDTV
