On being asked if he would “sensitise” Chief Justice of India D.Y. Chandrachud to it, he said, “The honourable Chief Justice and I meet so often. We are always in touch. He is the head of the Judiciary and I am the bridge between the government and the judiciary so we have to work together. You cannot work in isolation.”
The Law Minister also stressed that matters of appointments were an administrative matter, and government functionaries commenting on issues such as the National Judicial Appointments Commission (NJAC) did not amount to lowering the dignity of the Judiciary.
Mr. Rijiju’s criticism of the Collegium, however, sharply contrasts with the Centre’s push for transparency in the judicial appointments process during the NJAC case eight years ago. The NJAC judgment records how the government lampooned the Collegium system for its secrecy while arguing that the NJAC would “bring about critically desirable transparency, commitment and participation of the ultimate stakeholders — the people”. In fact, the 2015 judgment saw the Constitution Bench acknowledge that “transparency is a vital factor in constitutional governance”, but also cautioned the government that “transparency is not a one-way street”. Here’s a video analysis of the ongoing tussle over the appointment of judges.
Meanwhile, Rajya Sabha MP Kapil Sibal on Tuesday took a swipe at Mr. Rijiju over his remarks that the government has not taken a single step to undermine the judiciary, asking whether his “controversial statements” were meant to strengthen it. Mr. Sibal’s remarks came a day after the Union Minister said there can be a difference of opinion between the government and the judiciary but that does not mean the two are attacking each other.
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