Ahmedabad: The All India Congress Committee (AICC) Wednesday called for a “mechanism for judicial accountability” without compromising judicial independence, marking a significant intervention from the principal opposition party amid a debate stoked by the alleged discovery of wads of burnt currency notes from the residence of Justice Yashwant Varma.
Varma, who was serving as a judge in the Delhi High Court when the alleged discovery of cash was made following an incident of fire at his house, has since been repatriated to the Allahabad High Court by the Supreme Court Collegium.
The row has sparked a debate on the need for a body like the National Judicial Appointments Commission (NJAC), which was formed in 2015 following the passage of a bill that had received unanimous support from political parties. However, the same year, a Constitutional Bench of the top court had declared it unconstitutional.
The resolution, which was adopted by the AICC at its session in Ahmedabad, states that the malady of “attack on every institution” and compromising its sanctity, by force or by allurement, by the powers that be, “has not spared even the Judiciary”.
“The recent incident of recovery of cash from the residence of a judge is indeed alarming. While the Congress Party recognises that an independent judiciary is intrinsic to protection of Constitutional principles and democracy, it is also true that Judiciary must set safeguards and standards for accountability. A mechanism for judicial accountability, without compromising judicial independence, is the need of the hour,” it read.
In the resolution, the Congress said that it stands committed to the idea of INDIA bloc, sending out a message of unity in the opposition benches at a time when cracks have widened leading to question marks on not just the stability, but the very survival of the coalition.
“The Congress party has worked in the spirit of constructive cooperation and collective efforts, not only with our time-tested political allies, but created and sustained the architecture of “India Alliance” on commonality of people’s issues. We stand committed to continuing this effort even in the future,” the resolution said.
However, in his speech at the AICC session, Rahul Gandhi struck a different note, saying that only the Congress’s ideology-driven politics can counter the BJP-RSS.
“Only the Congress can stop the RSS (Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh) and BJP (Bharatiya Janata Party). Parties without ideological clarity cannot defeat the RSS and BJP. We fought against the RSS and British during the freedom struggle,” Rahul said—comments that may not sit well with INDIA bloc members.
The political resolution also went beyond taunting Prime Minister Narendra Modi over his “silence” on the tariff war unleashed by the Donald Trump administration. “The Congress Party calls upon the ruling regime to undertake a constructive negotiation with the US on tariffs by placing our national interests first, and after taking into confidence all political parties and stakeholders,” it said.
(Edited by Mannat Chugh)
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