'Parliament is supreme': VP Dhankhar renews attack on judicial overreach

Amid judiciary vs executive row, Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar backs Parliament's primacy, slams SC over contradictory verdicts, and seeks institutional accountability

Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar on Tuesday reaffirmed his stance against what he termed as judicial "overreach", saying the supremacy of Parliament in the constitutional framework.

 

"Parliament is supreme," Dhankhar said while addressing a gathering at Delhi University on Tuesday. He emphasised that the ultimate authority on constitutional matters rests with the elected representatives.

 

"Elected representatives will be the ultimate masters of what the constitution will be and there won't be any authority above it," he said. 

 

Last week, Dhankhar had also raised objections to the Supreme Court’s directive that appeared to set a timeline for the President to act on bills passed by a state legislature. Questioning judicial accountability, he said, "So, we have judges who will legislate, who will perform executive functions, who will act as super Parliament and absolutely have no accountability because the law of the land does not apply to them.”

 

 

Supreme Court judgments contradictory, alleges Dhankhar

 

Dhankhar also pointed to what he described as inconsistencies in Supreme Court rulings. Referring to landmark cases, he said, "In one case, the Supreme Court says the preamble is not a part of the constitution (Golaknath case) and in another case it says it is part of the constitution (Keshavanand Bharti)."

 

Stressing the role of discussion and dissent in a democratic setup, Dhankhar warned against silence and apathy. "Our silence might be very dangerous. Thinking minds have to be contributors to preserving our legacy," he said.

 

"We cannot allow rundown institutions or tarnishing individuals. Every word by the constitutional authority is guided by the Constitution," the Vice President added.   

 

  Dhankhar’s latest comments add to recent criticism by several BJP leaders who have accused the judiciary of encroaching upon the domain of the executive.

 

Earlier today, Supreme Court judge Justice BR Gavai, while hearing a petition on the situation in West Bengal, responded to allegations of judicial overreach.

 

"You want us to issue a writ of mandamus to the President to impose this? As it is, we are facing allegations of encroaching into the executive (domain)," he said.

 

(With agency inputs)