JUDICIARY SPOOKED ON TEMPLE

PM says Cong leaders have tried to intimidate SC judges with threat of impeachment

The BJP has no dearth of excuses for not facilitating the Ram temple. On Sunday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi went to the extent of suggesting that the leaders of the Congress party have tried to intimidate Supreme Court judges with threat of impeachment, if they don’t stall the Ayodhya case until after the general elections next year.

"The Congress is dragging judiciary into politics. It is creating an atmosphere of fear for the judiciary. One of their leaders asked the Supreme Court to delay the Ayodhya hearing because of the 2019 polls. When a judge doesn't pay heed to their demands, they try to use impeachment to threaten judiciary. But I urge the judiciary to keep on treading the path of justice without any fear," he said.

The Ayodhya title suit, it will be recalled, is pending in the Supreme Court, and in January, the court is expected to decide when it wants to hear the case. In October, CJI Ranjan Gogoi had refused to give an early hearing to the case, saying ‘we have our own priorities’.

Hitting back, Congress leader Kapil Sibal accused the prime minister of lying, adding that Gogoi himself had said that the Ayodhya dispute was not a priority matter.

“The Congress is not a party in these proceedings. Nothing can prevent the court from hearing the matter. The CJI has said it is not a priority matter for the Supreme Court, and the PM has no courage to say anything against the CJI. Blaming the Congress for making political capital won’t help,” Sibal added.