Won't comment on new criminal laws, CJI Chandrachud
New Delhi, Jul 2: Amid a heated debate over the three new criminal laws, Chief Justice of India (CJI) D Y Chandrachud on Tuesday refused to comment on them, saying the issues arising from these statutes were pending before the Supreme Court.
The new laws -- Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS) and the Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam (BSA) -- came into effect across the country from July 1 and replaced the Indian Penal Code, the Code of Criminal Procedure and the Indian Evidence Act, respectively.
Recently, a PIL was filed in the top court seeking a stay on the new criminal laws. It also challenged the constitutional validity of certain provisions in these laws.
"These are issues which are sub-judice before the Supreme Court, maybe possibly the other high courts. Therefore, I should not be speaking on anything which is likely to come up before the court," the CJI said while speaking to the media after an event to mark the foundation stone-laying ceremony at Karkardooma, Shastri Park and Rohini for new trial court buildings in the capital.
In his speech at the event, Chandrachud asserted that the courts only subserve the Constitution and are in service of no one but the litigants.
"Our courts are not merely sights of sovereign power but are also essential public service providers," he said.
"The foundation of a court must be sound – both in its structural and philosophical capacity. It must subserve no might but the Constitution and be in service of no one but the litigants," the CJI emphasised.
He also said court premises are not just made of bricks and concrete, and are intended to realise the virtues of justice and the rule of law.
"Court premises, like all buildings, are not just made of bricks and concrete. They are made up of hope. Courts are made to realise the virtues of justice and the rule of law. Every case that is being filed before us is with that hope for justice. When we invest in the safety, accessibility and comfort of our judges, lawyers and litigants, we build more than just an efficient system -- we make a just and inclusive system," he said.
The CJI stated that the new complexes will enhance the efficiency of the courts and reduce the pendency of cases.
Besides the CJI, Supreme Court judges Sanjiv Khanna and Hima Kohli, Delhi Lieutenant Governor V K Saxena, Acting Chief Justice of the Delhi High Court Manmohan and Delhi minister Atishi were present at the function.
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Kejriwal resorting to 'vendetta politics', says BJP after MP Sandeep Pathak booked
New Delhi (PTI): The BJP on Saturday accused Aam Aadmi Party's national convenor Arvind Kejriwal of vendetta politics after Punjab Police booked Rajya Sabha MP Sandeep Pathak, who recently defected to the BJP.
In an X post, BJP national spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla claimed that Kejriwal is misusing the Punjab Police to settle political scores, and Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann has become a party to it.
"Two FIRs have been filed against Sandeep Pathak, who until recently was in the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) as a Rajya Sabha MP and general secretary (organisation). What is baffling is the shameless, brazen vendetta politics being pursued by Arvind Kejriwal, with Bhagwant Mann complicit in it," Poonawalla said.
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"It is clear this has been done out of vendetta politics by Kejriwal, who is extremely vengeful and vindictive, and misuses the Punjab Police to pursue such political vendetta," he alleged.
Questioning the timing of the FIRs, Poonawalla said, "If these cases existed from the beginning, why were FIRs not filed earlier? If he was corrupt, why was he kept in the party for so long, especially when he was the general secretary (organisation)? Has any new material surfaced in the last few days, or has the alleged corruption occurred only now?"
He alleged that Kejriwal has an "old habit" of targeting political opponents and dissenters.
"We have seen how he has used the police against rivals, including Congress leaders. This is his old habit," Poonawalla said, referring to the withdrawal of Rajya Sabha MP Harbhajan Singh's security.
Poonawalla claimed that several leaders who had left AAP over the years, including Yogendra Yadav, Mayank Gandhi, Ashish Khetan, Ashutosh and Alka Lamba, were "hounded".
He accused the party of failing to introspect.
"Instead of introspecting on how they have changed -- from Anna to Lalu, from Lokpal to corruption -- they are indulging in vendetta politics, trying to victimise people using the strong arm of the law. This reflects an Emergency-like mindset and a dictatorial, Hitlerian mindset," he said.
According to sources, two FIRs have been lodged against Pathak under non-bailable sections.
No further details about the FIRs have been disclosed yet.
On April 24, the AAP suffered a jolt when seven of its 10 Rajya Sabha MPs quit, alleging that Arvind Kejriwal's party has strayed from its principles, values and core morals.
Of the seven MPs -- who were Pathak, Raghav Chadha, Ashok Mittal, Harbhajan Singh, Rajendra Gupta, Vikramjit Sahney and Swati Maliwal -- six were from Punjab.
Later, Rajya Sabha Chairman C P Radhakrishnan officially accepted their merger with the BJP, reducing AAP's strength in the Upper House to three.
