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Collegium should immediately reiterate its proposed name: Congress
New Delhi, May 4 (IANS) Accusing the Narendra Modi government of doing “content based discrimination” against certain judges, the Congress on Friday said that the Supreme Court Collegium should have made an immediate reiteration of its recommendation after the government rejected its first proposal.
“There should have been an immediate reiteration of the recommendation. And therefore, we would not agree with the delay which has happened on the reiteration. It should have happened forthwith,” Congress spokesperson Abhishek Manu Singhvi said.
He stressed that there “should have been a question and a show cause to the government from the judicial side” as to why it took the government four-and-a-half months to even reject its proposal.
He even asked the Collegium to take a leaf out of former Chief Election Commissioner T.N. Seshan’s book in case of delay by the government after reiteration. Seshan had once told the government he would hold no elections till the government made all the appointments.
“T.N. Seshan has set an example, a wrong example albeit, but still an example for a higher principle. I am not recommending it. I am only making a rhetorical point. We would implore the Collegium and the judges to uphold that majesty of the independence of judiciary,” said Singhvi, an eminent lawyer himself.
The Congress spokesperson’s reaction came in response to a media query about the government rejecting Justice K.M. Joseph’s elevation to the Supreme Court as recommended by the Supreme Court Collegium and the Collegium deferring its decision on the government’s opinion.
The opposition has alleged that the government is scuttling Justice Joseph’s elevation for his scrapping President’s Rule in Uttarakhand in 2016. As the Chief Justice of the Uttarakhand High Court, Justice Joseph overturned the dismissal of the state’s Harish Rawat-led Congress government by the Narendra Modi government.
“The Congress party cannot support a situation where we believe that there has been a content based discrimination against a particular judge or certain judges either in appointment, elevation or transfer,” Singhvi said.
“We believe that it is the majesty of the principle of the independence of judiciary which is most important. It is nothing to do with the Congress or the BJP. It is not even to do with Justice Joseph. It is to do with the much higher principle of independence of judiciary,” he added.
Singhvi alleged that there have been reports of a proposal in the government to treat the reiteration by the Collegium of Justice Joseph’s name as a fresh recommendation, which he said was “unconstitutional” and “fraud on the Constitution”.
“I hope that is not true. I have asked this question myself personally and I am asking through you (media) if the government has this plans. It is unconstitutional, it is fraud on the Constitution to play such game,” he said.
–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.