Congress slams govt over ex-SC judge's appointment as Governor
calls it 'great threat' to independence of judiciary
New Delhi, Feb 12: The Congress on Sunday attacked the government over the appointment of retired Supreme Court judge S Abdul Nazeer as a governor by citing the late BJP leader Arun Jaitley's remarks against such appointments, and called the move a "great threat" to the independence of the judiciary.
The government on Sunday appointed six new faces as governors, including Nazeer, who was part of the historic 2019 Ayodhya verdict, and four BJP leaders, besides carrying out a rejig of the gubernatorial posts in seven states.
Nazeer, who retired on January 4, has been part of several path-breaking verdicts, including those on the politically sensitive Ayodhya land dispute, instant 'triple talaq' and the one that declared 'right to privacy' a fundamental right.
Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh tagged a video on Twitter of former Union minister Arun Jaitley saying in 2012 that "pre-retirement judgements are influenced by post-retirement jobs".
"Adequate proof of this in the past 3-4 years for sure," Ramesh tweeted along with the video.
Asked about Nazeer's appointment, Congress spokesperson Abhishek Manu Singhvi said at a press conference, "One of your (BJP) tall leaders sadly no more with us, Arun Jaitley, on September 5, 2013 in the House and several times outside stated that 'the desire of a post-retirement job influences pre-retirement judgements. It is a threat to the Independence of the judiciary'."
He also dismissed the argument that this has happened several times earlier also so such an appointment is acceptable.
"We are not talking about persons or individuals. Personally, I have very great respect for this person (Nazeer). I know him, it is not about him at all. As a matter of principle we oppose it, as a matter of principle we believe it is a matter of great diminution and a great threat to the Independence of the judiciary for the reasons I have just quoted on the excerpt I played out," Singhvi said, referring to Jaitley's remarks.
"Therefore, we condemn it, we oppose it and we do not agree with it," the Rajya Sabha MP said.
Adequate proof of this in the past 3-4 years for sure https://t.co/33TZaGKr8x
— Jairam Ramesh (@Jairam_Ramesh) February 12, 2023
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Lokpal seeks additional evidence for inquiry against SEBI chief
New Delhi: The Lokpal, chaired by former Supreme Court Justice AM Khanwilkar, has deferred action on two complaints filed against SEBI Chief Madhabi Puri Buch, stating that the Hindenburg Report alone is insufficient for initiating an inquiry. The Lokpal requested the complainants, including MP Mahua Moitra, to submit additional evidence and verify the authenticity of the report.
The complaints stemmed from allegations in the Hindenburg report that suggested a quid pro quo relationship between the SEBI Chief and offshore funds linked to the Adani Group. However, the Lokpal noted that the report's contents, without further substantiation, do not justify proceeding under the Lokpal and Lokayuktas Act, 2013.
The Lokpal highlighted the need for foundational facts that demonstrate how the SEBI Chief's actions fall under the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988, and referred to a pending Supreme Court application related to the Hindenburg report. It further directed the complainants to explain their efforts to verify the report's credibility and ordered them to file affidavits outlining specific allegations.
The Lokpal has set the next hearing for October 17.
