New Delhi: The exercise of “executive authority by the judiciary” goes against the principles of democracy and the Constitution, Vice-President Jagdeep Dhankhar said Sunday, appealing to the intelligentsia and the academia to “reflect” and “ensure deference to constitutional essence”.
Dhankhar made the remarks at an event to mark the 75 years of politician and author Dr Karan Singh’s public life at the India International Centre in Delhi. In his storied political career, 93-year-old Singh, who is the son of the last ruler of the erstwhile princely state of Jammu and Kashmir, represented the Congress both in Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha.
Dhankhar, who addressed the opening session of the event, said Singh represented the “strength and sovereignty of India during a critical juncture in our history”, referring to the latter’s arrival in Srinagar on 20 June 1949, after taking over the regent of Jammu and Kashmir.
In his speech, Dhankhar also appealed to Singh to “bear influence on issues” that concern India, and went on to name the “convergence of forces” inimical to the country, and the “executive governance” by the judiciary, as topics that require the intervention of the intelligentsia and the academia.
“Convergence of forces within and without inimical to Bharat is concerning. So also anti-national narratives. There is a need for concerted endeavours to influence national mood so as to neutralise these pernicious forces,” Dhankhar said, repeating an assertion that he’s made on multiple occasions in the recent past.
Dhankhar then turned his lens on the judiciary, which has often been at the receiving end of his criticism, saying, executive governance is exclusive to the executive, as are legislation to legislatures and verdicts to courts.
“Exercise of executive authority by either judiciary or legislature is not in consonance with democracy as also constitutional prescriptions. This is an established position as the executive for governance is alone accountable and answerable to the legislature and courts. Executive governance by the judiciary is jurisprudentially and jurisdictionally beyond constitutional sanctification,” the V-P said.
Dhankhar said the matter has gained the attention of the people owing to the fact that there are “umpteen such instances” in their perception.
“This significant aspect calls for deep reflection at the level of distinguished people such as Dr Singh and the like, the intelligentsia and the academia. This influencing category needs to act as a beacon for catalysing healthy enlightening national discourse to ensure deference to constitutional essence,” he added.
In his brief remarks, Singh identified Jawaharlal Nehru as his “mentor”, while recounting how it was on Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel’s insistence that he was sent to the United States for treatment for a complication issue related to his hip bone.
Had he not received medical care in the US, he could have been wheelchair-bound all his life, Singh recalled. He also credited Dr Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan for his philosophical quests later in his life.
Singh, who served as a minister in the Indira Gandhi cabinet for a decade, has had a falling out with the Congress leadership in recent years. In 2022, he had said that his ties with the Congress were “almost zero”.
In November 2022, Singh had issued a public statement, accusing Congress general secretary (communications) Jairam Ramesh of making “unsavoury comments” on his father based on a selective reading of history.
(Edited by Gitanjali Das)
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