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‘History will not pardon us for not upholding judicial independence’
New Delhi, April 12 (IANS) Justice Kurian Joseph — the fifth senior most judge in the Supreme Court and a member of the collegium — has told Chief Justice Dipak Misra that “history will not pardon us” for not upholding judicial independence in the face of government sitting on its recommendation for the appointment of top court’s judges.
In an April 9 letter, Justice Joseph pointed out that over three months have passed since the Supreme Court collegium had recommended the elevation of Uttarakhand High Court Chief Justice K.M. Joseph and appointment of senior lawyer Indu Malhotra to the top court.
Pointing out that the “government owes a duty to take a call on the recommendation as soon as the same is sent by the collegium”, Justice Joseph said: “Failure to discharge their duty by sitting on the recommendations of the collegium doing nothing, in administrative law, is abuse of power.
“The dignity, honour and respect of this institution is going down day by day since we are not able to take recommendations for appointment to this court to their logical conclusion within the normally accepted time,” he said.
He asked Chief Justice Misra to deal with the issue on the judicial side by constituting a bench of seven or more senior most judges of the top court.
The Executive (government) sitting over collegium recommendation and not saying anything, Justice Joseph said, sends a “wrong message which is loud and clear to all the judges down the line not to cause any displeasure to the Executive, lest they should suffer.
“It appears your personal efforts have not been fruitful.
“Is this not a threat to the independence of judiciary?” Justice Joseph asked.
“I am more worried about the irreparable injury that is being caused by the wrong message sent to the judges down the line.”
The Supreme Court Judge said: “If there is no normal delivery on the completion of the gestation period, what is urgently done is caesarean section. Unless such a surgical intervention is made at the appropriate time, the child in the womb dies.
“… in the interest of this great institution and independence of judiciary, for which all of us have fought so vigorously and tirelessly, to have an appropriate bench forthwith … otherwise, I feel, history will not pardon us.”
Recalling the way the full court met when then Calcutta High Court Judge C.S. Karnan “challenged the dignity of the court”, Justice Kurian said: “Is not the present a more grievous situation?”
“In Justice Karnan’s case, it was threat to the dignity of the court; the present one is a threat to very life and the existence of the institution.”
He said the apex court was reeling under the work pressure by working with 24 judges as against a sanctioned strength of 31.
Recalling the practice of sending the names of judges for elevation to the top court in a phased manner as it may not poses any administrative or other difficulty, Justice Joseph pointed out that “we are not able to sit for the second phase since the fate of the first phase is not yet known.”
–IANS
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Dr. Abhishek Verma Dedicates a Shelter in Memory of His Mother, Veena Verma, at KGMU; Inaugurated by Daughter Nicolle Verma
World-renowned business tycoon Dr. Abhishek Verma has supported Foodman Vishal Singh’s Hunger-Free World mission. In memory of his mother, Late Veena Verma, who was a 3 term Rajya Sabha MP.
Dr. Verma dedicated a state-of-the-art free permanent shelter for the attendants of patients at KGMU Medical University, Lucknow, under the aegis of Vijay Shree Foundation. His daughter, Nicolle Verma, inaugurated the shelter.
During the event, Foodman Vishal Singh honored Nicolle Verma by presenting her with a memento. Mrs. Nidhi Sharma and Avantika Yadav, associated with the organization, welcomed her with garlands. Following this, Nicolle Verma distributed essential items to the attendants and also handed out fruits. She became emotional remembering her grandmother on her birth anniversary.
On this occasion, she also inaugurated the “Veena Verma Sevalaya” in memory of her grandmother, Veena Verma, to serve the attendants. She expressed, “I feel proud that my family is engaged in nation-building as well as social service. Today, in collaboration with Vijay Shree Foundation founder Foodman Vishal Singh Ji, I feel immensely proud to dedicate this shelter for the poor, helpless, and needy attendants of patients battling serious illnesses like cancer. I am honored to be associated with the Hunger-Free World Mission for humanity.”
Inspired by the continuous humanitarian service provided by Vijay Shree Foundation over the past 17 years, Nicolle Verma donated 10 lakh rupees to support the cause. The purpose of this donation is to ensure that services continue for the needy attendants of patients suffering from severe illnesses in hospitals, as facilitated by Foodman Vishal Singh.
It is noteworthy that Dr. Abhishek Verma’s family has a legacy of public and philanthropic service. They are helping millions to carry forward the values and service work of their parents. On the occasion of his mother’s birth anniversary, Dr. Abhishek Verma dedicated this state-of-the-art permanent shelter at Lucknow Medical College to serve the attendants of patients through the Vijay Shree Foundation.
Supporting Foodman Vishal Singh’s Hunger-Free World mission, Dr. Abhishek Verma assured that he would continually support keeping this flame of humanity alive. He also promised to assist in providing medicines to the helpless patients.
Continuing her grandmother’s legacy of service, Nicolle Verma personally served food to the needy patients and attendants. She said, “It is our good fortune to have received the joy of doing this noble work today through Foodman Vishal Singh. I have taken another step forward in carrying my family’s values and cooperation by joining hands with the Vijay Shree Foundation. My father taught me to serve and help the needy, and I feel happy when I bring a smile to someone’s face.”
On the birth anniversary of the late Veena Verma, the event organizer, Vijay Shree Foundation founder Foodman Vishal Singh, said, “We feel proud and happy that Dr. Abhishek Verma, a globally renowned business tycoon, has extended his support to uplift our country from the hunger index. Today, on his mother’s birth anniversary, he inaugurated a state-of-the-art permanent shelter at Lucknow Medical College, which will always be helpful for the needy attendants of patients. It is a pleasure for me and the organization to receive the affection of Mr. Verma.”
The event was attended by General Manager Verma Family Office Hemant Garg, Sonu Rajput, and the organization’s volunteers, including Sandeep Singh, Parmeshwar Ji, Prashant Rao Gautam, Balram Singh, Ramesh Chaudhary, Suman, Jeetu, Anil, Suraj, Vinay, Manish Bhadauria, Manas Mehrotra, Vivek, Apurv, Happy, and others.
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