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Court refused to say who referred case to 5-judge bench: Sibal (Lead)

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New Delhi, May 8 (IANS) Congress leader Kapil Sibal on Tuesday said he withdrew a petition against Rajya Sabha Chairman M. Venkaiah Naidu’s rejection of an impeachment motion against Supreme Court Chief Justice Dipak Misra as the case had been referred to a five-judge bench without following the due process.

Sibal said that the petition had not been transferred to the constitution bench through a “judicial order”.

“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 and under what circumstances? It is an administrative order and not a judicial order,” Sibal told the media at the Congress headquarters here.

He said the Supreme Court rules did 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”.

Sibal said: “As a litigant, I have a right to know what is that order, who has passed it, in what circumstances and what is the tenor of that order.”

The constitution bench excludes the five senior-most judges of the apex court — four of whom had raised their voice against the Chief Justice — 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.

“They (bench) did not answer our question and asked us to argue on the merits of the case. We told them we could not argue the case until we got a copy of the order. So, we withdrew the petition,” he added.

Raising more questions, Sibal said: “In the present case, there is no judicial order formulating the substantial question of law, involving the interpretation of the Constitution, which is required to be adjudicated upon by a constitution bench.

“The petitioners are entitled to know the authority who on the administrative side passed an order to refer this matter to five distinguished judges.”

On Monday, Congress MPs Pratap Singh Bajwa and Amee Yajnik had filed the petition, alleging that Vice President and Rajya Sabha Chairperson Naidu’s decision to reject the motion was politically motivated.

Sibal also demanded to know if there was “any order by any constitutional authority in India” that could not be challenged in the Supreme Court.

“We submitted if their lordships felt that the Rajya Sabha Chairman’s decision is something that cannot be challenged, then they should tell us as much,” said Sibal, who appeared for the two Congress MPs.

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 was 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.

He also said it is not a political issue. “This is not politics. These are individual member’s right. So, any individual member can challenge it.”

–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

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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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