Call on CJI notice not hasty: Naidu

NEWDELHI: A day after he rejected the Opposition’s notice seeking the Chief Justice of India’s impeachment, and came in for criticism for the alacrity with which he did so, Rajya Sabha chairman M Venkaiah Naidu on Tuesday defended his “timely, not hasty” decision and finance minister Arun Jaitley wrote in a blog that the Congress is trying to intimidate India’s judiciary.

At a meeting with Supreme Court lawyers here on Tuesday, Naidu said: “Some Hon’ble Members of the House had a point of view and the right to express it while I had a responsibility cast on me. I have done my job and am satisfied with it”.

On Monday, Naidu rejected notice of a motion for the removal of the CJI by six Opposition parties including the Congress. He maintained that the notice lacked substantial merit and that the allegations were “neither tenable nor admissible”.

Naidu’s refusal left Opposition leaders such as Sitaram Yechury, general secretary of the Communist Party of India (Marxist), complaining that “the dismissal of the impeachment notice is another step to destroy the independence of the judiciary.” India has seen a spurt in rape cases involving minors. Hindustan Times maps a list of the cases, including those from Kathua and Unnao, to highlight the seriousness of the problem.

The motion was filed to intimidate the Chief Justice of India and other judges. ARUN JAITLEY, Finance minister