Rajya Sabha Chairman meets Nadda, Kharge to discuss NJAC issue
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New Delhi: Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar on Monday held a crucial meeting with Leader of the House J P Nadda and Leader of the Opposition Mallikarjun Kharge to deliberate on judicial accountability and the National Judicial Appointments Commission (NJAC) Act. The discussions took place behind closed doors in Dhankhar’s chamber, beginning at 11:30 am.
The meeting followed Dhankhar’s earlier communication to both leaders, inviting them for consultations. It was convened in response to remarks he made in the Upper House on March 21 while addressing concerns raised by Congress leader Jairam Ramesh over the recent recovery of cash from a high court judge’s residence.
During his address in Rajya Sabha, Dhankhar recalled the legislative history of the NJAC Act, passed in 2014, which aimed to reform judicial appointments. The legislation, supported by near unanimity in Parliament with only one abstention in the Rajya Sabha, was subsequently struck down by the Supreme Court.
"You all will recollect the mechanism which was passed by this House with near unanimity, with no dissension, only one abstention in the Rajya Sabha, all political parties converging and going in for the initiative of the government," Dhankhar had remarked.
He further underscored the significance of the NJAC Act, noting that it had received endorsement from 16 state assemblies and was signed into law by the President under Article 111 of the Constitution.
"That historic legislation, endorsed by this Parliament with unprecedented consensual support unknown to the parliamentary history of this country, dealt with the malaise very severely. If the malaise had been dealt with, perhaps we would not have countenanced such kind of issues. What bothers me is that the incident happened and did not immediately surface," he had observed.
Emphasizing the need for structured discussions on the issue, Dhankhar stated his intent to work with Nadda and Kharge to establish a mechanism for deliberations during the ongoing parliamentary session, subject to their agreement.
With PTI inputs