Mallikarjun Kharge says BJP MPs 'pushed' him in Parliament premises
New Delhi (PTI): Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Thursday wrote to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, claiming he was physically pushed by BJP MPs in Parliament premises following which he lost his balance.
The Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha asked the LS Speaker to order an inquiry into the BJP MPs "pushing" him, says it was an assault not just on him but on the Rajya Sabha LoP and the Congress president.
"I was physically pushed by BJP MPs; lost my balance and was forced to sit down on ground in front of Makar Dwar," Kharge said.
His remarks came after a face-off between the opposition and NDA MPs in Parliament premises over the alleged insult to B R Ambedkar left former minister Pratap Chandra Sarangi injured.
The BJP accused Rahul Gandhi of pushing the senior member, a charge rejected by the Congress leader.
Trouble began when the INDIA bloc members insisted on entering Parliament through the BJP MPs holding a protest instead of using the space left empty on one side of the staircase of the Makar Dwar, used by members to enter and exit the building.
Some senior Congress MPs in the Lok Sabha also wrote to Speaker Birla alleging that Rahul Gandhi was “physically manhandled” and urged him to take appropriate action.
“We are writing to express our deep anguish regarding an incident that occurred on the premises of Parliament today. Members of the INDIA alliance were peacefully protesting and marching from the Dr. Baba Saheb Ambedkar statue to Makar Dwar. "However, as we attempted to enter the Parliament through Makar Dwar, the protesting MPs were physically obstructed from entering,” the letter signed by Congress MPs K C Venugopal, Kudukunil Suresh, Ravindra Chavan Dean Kuriakose and V K Sreekandan said.
“We would also like to bring to your notice that Shri Rahul Gandhi Leader of Opposition was physically manhandled by three MPs from the ruling party. This is a clear violation of the privileges extended to the Leader of Opposition and infringes on the rights accorded to him in his official capacity as an MP,” they said.
Their conduct was not only a blatant assault on the personal dignity of Rahul Gandhi, but antithetical to the democratic spirit of our parliament, the letter said.
“We hope that you will treat this matter with utmost seriousness and take appropriate action,” the MPs said in their letter to Birla.
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CJI's advice to aspirant: Join the bar, become a lawyer, don't hanker for judicial services post
New Delhi (PTI): She came to the Supreme Court seeking a re-evaluation of her paper in the examination for joining judicial services as a magistrate. What she got instead was a rejection — and a candid confession by the Chief Justice that he too had wanted to join the judicial services in his youth but was advised by a senior judge to become a lawyer instead.
A bench comprising Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi on Friday dismissed a plea filed by Prerna Gupta, the judicial services aspirant.
As Gupta pressed her case, the CJI intervened and said, "Let me share my personal story and I hope you will go happily as we cannot allow your petition."
He recounted his time as a final-year law student in 1984 when he wanted to become a judicial officer. As per requirement, he cleared the written test and was set to appear for an interview.
Judicial services is one of the two routes to become a judge after initially joining as a magistrate in lower court and thereafter rising through the ranks to become judge in a high court and possibly the Supreme Court.
The other route is to join the Bar, which means becoming a lawyer, and after building a reputation be picked from the Bar to become a judge at a senior level.
By the time the CJI's exam results came out, he had started practising at the Punjab and Haryana High Court when he was called for the interview.
The senior-most judge on the interview panel happened to be a judge before whom he had recently argued two significant matters.
"One of the matters was Sunita Rani vs Baldev Raj, where he had allowed my appeal in a matrimonial case and set aside the decree of divorce granted by the District Judge on the ground of schizophrenia," he noted.
Before the interview could take place, the judge called the young Surya Kant to his chamber and asked, 'Do you want to become a judicial officer?'
"I said 'yes.' He immediately said, 'Get out from (my) the chamber.'"
The courtroom fell silent as the CJI Justice described his initial heartbreak.
“I came out trembling. All my dreams were shattered. I thought he had snubbed me and that my career was over,” the CJI said.
However, the story took another turn the following day and the judge summoned him again, this time offering a piece of advice that would change the trajectory of his life.
“He said, ‘If you want to become (a judge), you are welcome. But my advice is, don’t become a judicial officer. The Bar is waiting for you,’” Justice Surya Kant recalled.
The CJI said he decided to skip his interview and didn't even tell his parents at first, fearing their disappointment, and instead chose to dedicate himself to his practice as an advocate.
“Now tell me did I make a bad right or bad decision,” the CJI asked and the litigant lawyer left the court with a smile on her face despite her case being dismissed.
Encouraging the petitioner to look toward the future rather than dwelling on the re-evaluation of a single paper, Justice Surya Kant said, "The Bar has much to offer."
