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Disappointed that collegium resolution not made public: Justice Lokur(Lead)
New Delhi, Jan 23 (IANS) Former Supreme Court judge Madan Lokur on Wednesday expressed disappointment over the collegium’s December 12 resolution elevating Justice Pradeep Nandrajog and Justice Rajendra Menon to the top court not being made public and advocated “tweaking” the collegium system.
Overruling the collegium’s December 12 decision of which Justice Lokur was a part, Justice Dinesh Maheshwari and Justice Sanjiv Khanna were on January 10 recommended for elevation to the Supreme Court (SC), superseding as many as 32 other judges, triggering a major controversy.
As former and sitting judges expressed their reservations about the judges being superseded, the Narendra Modi government on January 16 elevated both Justices Maheshwari and Khanna to the SC.
Participating in an interactive session here, Justice Lokur, who retired on December 31, did not hide his disappointment.
“It does disappoint me that the resolution passed on December 12, 2018 wasn’t put up in public domain. Usually resolutions are always put on the (SC) website, but why it wasn’t put up, I don’t know,” he said.
Asked what made the collegium change its decision, Justice Lokur said he was not privy to the “additional material” that could have led to the collegial change its mind.
While observing that the Collegium system was the best bet under the current circumstances, he did admit it had certain limitations and said there was a need to tweak it and bring in improvements.
“Like any other system, its needs tweaking. The system needs to improve, there has to be a timeframe that must be strictly adhered to,” he said adding that it was public knowledge that government on many instances has sat on the collegium’s recommendations for months.
Pointing out that the Memorandum of Procedure (MoP) was silent on many aspects including the eligibility criteria of the judges, Justice Lokur said there was an urgent need of discussing the issue of improving the system, with the government and stakeholders.
While denying the existence of nepotism or influence in the collegium system, he admitted that there were instances of decisions reflecting “arbitrariness”.
On the issue of judges accepting post retirement assignment, he said there were laws that mandated that retired judges and retired chief Justice of India could only be the chairperson of NHRC and other commissions.
“If all judges start declining such posts, then who will run these commissions?” he asked.
He also dismissed the hype made over Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to the SC and having met judges.
“Do you want judges not to see the face of the Prime Minister?” said Justice Lokur when asked to comment on the issue.
“A judge shouldn’t be expected to be in ivory tower or live like a hermit. I don’t think there is anything wrong in Prime Minister either visiting the SC or meeting judges,” he said.
On a question on why there has been no appointment of a Dalit judge to the SC in the last 8 years, Justice Lokur said: “There was no one senior enough to be appointed”.
He also opined that criminal defamation law and the sedition law should be done away with and lamented the lack of discussions on making the justice delivery system quicker and more accessible.
–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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