Dignity of constitutional bodies must be maintained: Rajnath

All political parties must ensure that the dignity and honour of the constitutional institutions like the courts do not get diminished under any circumstances, Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh said here today.

Singh, who was here to chair the 23rd meeting of the Western Zonal Council, comprising Gujarat, Maharashtra, Goa and the Union Territories of Daman and Diu and Dadra and Nagar Haveli, told this to reporters after the meeting, in response to a query on the SC collegium.

His comments came hours after the Centre asked the Supreme Court collegium to reconsider its proposal to appoint Uttarakhand High Court Chief Justice K M Joseph to the top court, saying the elevation might not be "appropriate".

"It is the responsibility of every political party as well as other institutions to make sure that the dignity and honour of any constitutional institution do not get diminished under any circumstances," Singh said, while replying to a query on the Centre's decision of not approving Joseph's name as an apex court judge.

"All of us, be it the ruling party or the opposition parties or any government or non-government organisation, must try to ensure that the people's trust in the constitutional institutions remains intact. This is necessary for a healthy democracy," he said.

Asked to specifically comment on Joseph, the home minister said, "I should not comment on the judiciary."
"It has been our well thought-out strategy that we should maintain cordial relations with our neighbours. We always put in our maximum efforts in that direction. Atalji (former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee) used to say that we can change our friends, but not our neighbours," he said, adding, "Modiji is also trying to establish cordial relations with our neighbours."