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Opposition move to impeach CJI suicidal, dangerous: Legal luminaries
By Pramod Kumar
New Delhi, April 21 (IANS) Several legal luminaries and a constitutional expert on Saturday decried the opposition’s move to impeach Chief Justice of India Dipak Misra, describing it as “unfortunate”, “suicidal” and “dangerous”.
Former Chief Justice of India T.S. Thakur dubbed the situation “unfortunate”, while former Supreme Court Judge B. Sudershan Reddy termed it “suicidal and dangerous”.
Former Lok Sabha Secretary General Subhash C. Kashyap said the move is “pure party politics”.
Kashyap contended that under the Constitution, only the President can be impeached and Article 124 only speaks about the removal of a Judge for misconduct or proven incapacity. “There is nothing like impeachment of a Judge.”
Former Delhi High Court Judge R.S. Sodhi, a practicing senior counsel in the Supreme Court, said it was the “most immature move” and a “political hara-kiri” by the Congress that betrays logic.
Congress-led seven opposition parties on April 20 met Rajya Sabha Chairman M. Venkaiah Naidu and submitted an impeachment motion for the removal of the Chief Justice on charges of “misbehaviour”.
Pointing out that he found no substance in the charges, former apex court Judge Reddy told IANS from Hyderabad that “it is suicidal on part of the political parties which have moved the impeachment motion”.
Prima facie, he claimed, “there is no material to establish the charge of any misbehaviour on part of the Chief Justice”, adding that “irregularities do not amount to misbehaviour”.
Former CJI Thakur, while refusing to go into the details, told IANS: “This is very unfortunate that the top judiciary is faced with such crisis.”
An authority on parliamentary rules and procedures, Kashyap emphatically said that the impeachment move is “not likely to succeed at all”.
“It is purely party politics. The purpose seems to be to embarrass the judiciary and the government — the party in power. It is not likely to pass (muster) at all,” the former Lok Sabha Secretary General said while agreeing to the views of Justice Reddy who said the entire move is fraught with dangers.
Justice Reddy said that the impeachment move had a definite political coating and it can’t be otherwise.
“Any impeachment motion”, Justice Reddy said, “is definitely political in its nature. In any impeachment proceedings politics can’t be avoided.”
“But in the present case, they are dragging — may be unintentionally — the judiciary into party politics, which is dangerous.”
Justice J. Chelameswar — one of the four senior most apex court Judges who went public on January 12 with their grievances over its functioning — had said that impeachment was not an answer for every problem in the higher judiciary.
“I do not know why the nation is obsessed with impeachment. Impeachment can’t be an answer to everything. There have to be other mechanisms in place to deal with such problems,” Justice Chelameswar had said in an interaction with TV host Karan Thapar.
Describing the Congress action as “the most immature move” it had committed in its history, Justice Sodhi said: “I am sorry that the Grand Old Party has committed hara-kiri.”
He said that the Congress had targeted the judiciary — the only organ of the State which has credibility — and it would hurt the country.
Kashyap said that Rajya Sabha Chairman M. Venkaiah Naidu could reject the impeachment notice at his own level if he felt it had no material legs to stand on.
(Pramod Kumar can be contacted at [email protected])
–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.