Union govt's attempt to control judiciary not in consonance with democratic polity : Tarun Gogoi

In the light of the Supreme Court judgement declaring the constitution of the National Judicial Appointment Commission as ‘unconstitutional and void’ thus restoring the collegium system for appointment of judges to the higher judiciary, Gogoi said that the independence of the judiciary has to be maintained to ensure justice, uphold the fundamental rights of the people and remove the inequities from which the anti-democratic forces derive their sustenance.

“The manner in which the Central Government tried to have some sort of a control over the judiciary by trying to replace the collegium system is not in consonance with the spirit of our democratic polity. The legislature, the executive and the judiciary have to go together for a healthy democracy and that is the cardinal principle of our Constitution,” Gogoi said.

The Assam CM criticised the Union government for making attempts at saffronising education and culture with Hindutva ideology.

“The Union government’s attempts at saffronising education and culture with Hindutva ideology are not in conformity with the Constitution’s cultural diversity and pluralism,” Gogoi said.

The Assam CM took a dig at the Governor of Assam for nominating RSS ideologues to the highest academic body, the Dibrugarh University court, which drew flak from different quarters.

(Reporting by Hemanta Kumar Nath)