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Congress MPs withdraw CJI impeachment petition in protest (Roundup)
New Delhi, May 8 (IANS) In a tactical retreat, two Congress MPs withdrew their petition challenging Rajya Sabha Chairman M. Venkaiah Naidu’s rejection of an impeachment motion against Supreme Court Chief Justice Dipak Misra on Tuesday after the court refused to give details of the administrative order that led to setting up of a constitutional bench to hear the matter.
Appearing for the MPs, senior counsel Kapil Sibal withdrew the petition after the five-judge Constitution Bench headed by Justice A.K. Sikri asked him to argue the main matter challenging Naidu’s order on merits while expressing its refusal on the constitution of the bench.
“We wanted to know who passed the order that our petition would be heard by a five-judge bench. Normally, reference to such a bench is made by a judicial order. But there is no judicial order here. So who passed the order”, Sibal, one of the signatories to the impeachment motion, told reporters after withdrawing the petition.
In the court, while Sibal wanted the copy of the order to challenge it on the grounds that the matter could be referred to a Constitution Bench only by a judicial order and not by an administrative order, Justice Adarsh Kumar Goel, part of the bench, asked if there was a bar on directly referring the matter to a five-judge bench by the latter process.
The bench, also comprising Justice S.A. Bobde, Justice N.V. Ramana and Justice Arun Mishra, reminded Sibal that at the outset of the hearing he had said he had no personal agenda and was for upholding the dignity of the court.
“Will the dignity of the court be jeopardised if you give me that (administrative) order (constituting five judge bench). It is not a secret document under the National Security Act,” Sibal countered.
Attorney General K.K. Venugopal, appearing for the Rajya Sabha Chairman, said the Chief Justice had discretionary powers on the administrative side to allocate any matter to any bench of whatever strength.
Sibal later told the media that Supreme Court rules do not allow the Chief Justice to pass an administrative order to refer a matter to a five-judge bench on the ground that a “substantial question of law as to the interpretation of the Constitution arises in the case”.
The Constitution Bench excludes the five senior-most judges of the apex court — four of whom had raised their voice against Chief Justice Misra — and was formed late on Monday to hear the plea on Tuesday.
“If such an order has been passed by the Chief Justice, although the petition pertains to his own impeachment, then we should be given a copy of the order, as we are entitled to it, so that we can study it,” he said.
On Monday, Rajya Sabha members Pratap Singh Bajwa and Amee Yajnik had moved the top court alleging Chairman Naidu’s rejection in April of the notice of motion seeking the removal of Chief Justice Misra was politically motivated.
On April 20, members from seven opposition parties led by the Congress submitted a notice to Chairman Naidu to initiate impeachment proceedings against Chief Justice Misra on five counts of “misbehaviour”. Naidu rejected the notice three days later.
Sibal said the Congress did not have a personal grievance against any judge but was raising the matter for the sake of restoring the “dignity and independence” of the judiciary.
He pointed out that it were a few senior judges of the Supreme Court and not the Congress who flagged the issue that everything was not right with the apex court.
–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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