National News
Kapil Sibal Comments on Vice President Dhankhar’s Remarks Regarding Judiciary New Delhi, 18th April 2025: Rajya Sabha Member Kapil Sibal has responded to recent comments made by Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar regarding the judiciary’s role in the presidential decision-making process, expressing concerns over the nature of the remarks. On 17 April 2025, Vice President Dhankhar questioned the judiciary’s timeline for the president to take decisions, which Sibal described as "unconstitutional". Speaking at a press conference today, Sibal said that, in his view, such statements were unprecedented for a Rajya Sabha Chairperson, who traditionally remains neutral in matters of political discourse. Sibal highlighted the importance of maintaining impartiality in parliamentary roles, emphasising that both the Speaker of the Lok Sabha and the Chairman of the Rajya Sabha should remain neutral and serve as equal representatives of both the ruling party and the opposition. He noted, "The role of the Speaker or Chairman is to facilitate the functioning of the House, not to represent a particular political party. Their position requires them to be equidistant from both sides, and they only cast a vote in the event of a tie." The comments from Dhankhar have stirred a wider debate about the relationship between the judiciary, the executive, and the legislature, particularly in terms of the separation of powers and the perceived influence of political figures in judicial matters. As the discussion continues, political and legal experts have called for further consideration of the implications of such statements on the functioning of democratic institutions. |
