A day after >welcoming the Supreme Court striking down the National Judicial Appointments Commission (NJAC) law, the Congress on Saturday displayed an ambiguous stand on the judgment.
Senior Congress leader Abhishek Manu Singhvi had expressed his disappointment on the judgment day, saying: “The NJAC should have been given a fair chance.” But Congress spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala was quick to clarify to The Hindu that Mr. Singhvi’s views did not represent the party’s stand.
But Mr. Singhvi continued to show some degree of dissatisfaction with the judgment, picking holes in the collegium system for appointment and transfer of judges.
“The Congress does not certainly accept the collegium as excellent or unexceptional,” said Mr. Singhvi. “The Congress certainly believes that the collegium system has much to answer and much to improve. The Congress certainly believes that understanding and acknowledgement is there in the judiciary in this judgment itself, which is why on November 3, you are having a hearing to try and address that part of the issue.”
Mr. Singhvi said he was looking forward to reforms to ensure that the collegium was transparent and accountable and that a system was established to address the government’s lack of trust in judicial appointments and transfers.
