The Congress on Sunday said that Chief Justice of India Dipak Misra “should consider recusing himself” from judicial and administrative work till he is cleared of allegations of misconduct that Opposition parties have levelled against him, PTI reported.
The Congress criticised the Bharatiya Janata Party for defending Misra and accused it of compromising the chief justice’s position as a neutral arbitrator and the head of the judiciary. Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley has accused the Congress of “using impeachment as a political tool”. Union Minister of State for Home Kiren Rijiju on Saturday criticised the Opposition party for not trusting the country’s institutions.
“The CJI must come out and tell the BJP not to politicise his office,” Congress Spokesperson Randeep Surjewala told reporters in New Delhi. He wondered why the BJP had been defending Misra. “Caesar’s wife must be above suspicion,” Surjewala said. “And that’s why we left it to his [Misra’s] conscience. If his own conduct is under a cloud, should he not consider recusing himself from performing judicial and administrative duties and submit himself to the inquiry so that the high office and his individual integrity are cleared?”
The Opposition on Friday laid out five charges against Misra, including his conduct in the Medical Council of India bribery case, his role as the “master of the roster” at the Supreme Court, and his ownership of a land parcel allegedly based on a false affidavit. The impeachment motion was signed by 71 parliamentarians, seven of whom have retired.
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