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SC judges meet CJI over Justice Joseph appointment row
New Delhi, Aug 6 (IANS) A group of top court judges including those from the collegium on Monday met Chief Justice Dipak Misra to express their concern over the Centre altering seniority of Justice K.M. Joseph by placing him at third position, after Justice Indira Banerjee and Justice Vineet Saran, in the order of appointment as top court judge.
Justice Joseph, along with Justice Indira Banerjee and Justice Vineet Saran, will be administered oath on Tuesday by Chief Justice of India (CJI) Misra.
Upset over the Centre altering the seniority of Justice Joseph by placing him at number three, the aggrieved judges urged the CJI to convey their concern to the government, which they alleged was an interference by the government in judicial appointments.
It was learnt that Chief Justice Misra has spoken to the Attorney General to convey the concern expressed by the judges upset over the development.
While some judges are expressing concern over government’s interference with the appointment process, Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) President Vikas Singh said that the fault lies with the collegium itself.
Blaming the collegium for the mess, Vikas Singh said: “When they (collegium) made the recommendation, they should have said that it is a case of reiteration and it should be at the serial number one as his name was recommended earlier.”
In the case of Justice Joseph, the recommendation for his elevation as top court judge was made by the collegium on January 10 this year which was reiterated on July 17.
Prior to reiteration of Justice Joseph’s name on July 17, the collegium had earlier decided in principle to reiterate his recommendation after the Centre had returned it for reconsideration, saying that he stood 11th in the seniority of Chief Justices of the High Court.
The collegium, while recommending Justice Joseph’s name for elevation to top court in January this year, had described him as one of the ablest and suitable judges for consideration for elevation to the top court.
“The collegium considers that at present Mr. Justice K.M. Joseph, who hails from Kerala High Court and is currently functioning as Chief Justice of Uttarakhand High Court, is more deserving and suitable in all respects than other Chief Justices and senior puisne Judges of High Courts for being appointed as Judges of the Supreme Court of India,” the top court collegium had said in its January 10 resolution.
Ever since the collegium recommended the name of Justice Joseph for elevation to top court in January this, the government and the judiciary are at loggerheads. Justice Joseph earned the displeasure of the government after he set aside the imposition of President’s rule in Uttarakhand.
Earlier, the government had sat over collegium recommendation transferring Justice Joseph as the Chief Justice of Andhra Pradesh High 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.