EX-CJI GOGOI’S REMARKS ON JUDICIARY CAUSE OF WORRY: PAWAR

MUMBAI: Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar on Sunday termed the remarks made by former Chief Justice of India (CJI) and Rajya Sabha member Ranjan Gogoi about the judiciary “shocking and “worrisome”. The former CJI had criticised the judicial system and said the judiciary in India is “ramshackled”.

Speaking on the sidelines of an event in Pune, Pawar said: “Last week, I read somewhere that Prime Minister (Narendra Modi) in one of the meetings of Supreme Court judges, stated that the standard of the Indian judiciary is very high. We all felt good. But the statement made by former Chief Justice of India, who has been now sent to Parliament, is a very shocking kind of a statement. I do not know if he tried to explain the truth of judiciary.”

PM Modi, while addressing an event to mark the golden jubilee of the Gujarat high court on February 5, said that the country’s Supreme Court has become number one in the world in conducting hearings through videoconferencing. He also said that the judiciary has always interpreted the Constitution positively to strengthen it further. “It always performed its duty: be it safeguarding the rights of people of the country or to prioritise national interest,” the PM said.

Later, addressing the India Today conclave on February 11, the former CJI reportedly said if one goes to Indian courts they would have to wait endlessly for a verdict. “How important the judiciary is as a constitutional body need not be emphasised upon. You want a $5-trillion economy, but your judiciary is ramshackle,” he said.

NEW DELHI: All central government employees have been asked to attend office on working days, according to a personnel ministry order.

The decision comes amid a significant decline in the number of active Covid-19 cases in the country, including in the national capital. However, all officers and staff residing in containment zones shall be exempted from coming to office till their containment zone is de-notified, the statement said.

Until now, officers of the level of under secretary and above were only attending office due to the coronavirus-induced restrictions imposed in March.

The Centre had in May asked 50% of its employees below the level of deputy secretary to work from their offices, while implementing different time slots in its effort to further check the spread of the coronavirus.

The officers/staff shall follow staggered timings to avoid overcrowding in offices/workplaces as decided by the heads of department, it said.

“The government servants at all levels are to attend office on all working days without any exemption to any category of employees,” said the order issued late Saturday to all the central government departments. The personnel ministry, in another order, said that “all departmental canteens may be opened”.

Biometric attendance shall continue to be suspended until further orders, it said. The staff who are residing in the containment zone shall work from home and shall be available on telephone and electronic means of communications at all times, it said.