Maintaining its hands-off stance in the ongoing Supreme Court crisis, the BJP-led NDA Government at the Centre expects Chief Justice of India Dipak Misra to deal with the situation "with an open mind".
Sources in the government told DNA that while nobody in the government "has met or spoken" to CJI Misra since Friday – the day four senior-most judges of the apex court after the CJI held an unprecedented press conference to air their disagreements with the CJI on several issues, the government is seized of the issue and has briefed Attorney General KK Venugopal in detail.
"He (CJI) is the head of the institution. It is incumbent upon him to resolve the issue at the earliest. It is his responsibility. We expect him to reach out to the Judges with an open mind. Government will have no role to play in all this. The credibility of the institution must not suffer," a senior functionary said.
The four judges – Justices Jasti Chelameswar, Ranjan Gogoi, Kurian Joseph and Madan Lokur - were particularly unhappy with the manner in which CJI Misra has repeatedly tinkered with the roster and also re-assigned important and sensitive cases being handled by them to a select few judges – all junior to them.
Asked if Nripendra Misra, Principal Secretary to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who had gone to CJI's residence yesterday but couldn't meet him, had been deputed with a message to the CJI, the source strongly refuted such a possibility.
"He wasn't deputed or sent with any secret message. He knows the CJI and might have gone there just to wish him a happy new year – something that Misra had claimed yesterday. Had the government wanted to send somebody, it would have been either the Union Law Minister or the AG. We are not getting involved in this," the functionary said.
Asked how long would the government wait for the issue to be resolved, he replied, "Forever. We will not get involved."
NO SAY
Justices Jasti Chelameswar, Ranjan Gogoi, Kurian Joseph and Madan Lokur were particularly unhappy with the manner in which CJI Misra has repeatedly tinkered with the roster. Sources in the government said nobody in the government “has met or spoken” to the CJI. Misra since Friday.
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
 "Justices")
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
)
)
)
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}