After V-P Dhankhar's 'Parliament is Supreme' Remarks, CJI Gavai Says 'Constitution Alone is Supreme'
The Wire Staff
New Delhi: Following the comments made by Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar about the Supreme Court setting timelines for the President while deciding Bills referred by Governors, Chief Justice of India B.R. Gavai on Sunday (May 18) said that the “Constitution of India alone is supreme.”
Earlier, while speaking on the issue of the Supreme Court setting timelines, Dhankhar had said that the judiciary was trying to become a "super Parliament."
After the Supreme Court intervened in the petitions challenging the Waqf Amendment Act, the vice president had said that the "Parliament is supreme" and that "there is no visualisation in the Constitution of any authority above Parliament."
"On being asked about the issue of who is Supreme, whether Judiciary or Executive or the Parliament? I can say that the Constitution of India is the only supreme and all the three pillars of the country - Judiciary, Parliament and also the Executive, have to work together for the Constitution," CJI Gavai said on Sunday while speaking at an event held in Mumbai by the Bar Council of Maharashtra and Goa for his felicitation, reported LiveLaw.
CJI Gavai added that the landmark ruling in the Kesavananda Bharti case has protected the country. "I can say that it has helped the country's three pillars - Executive, Legislature and Judiciary, work smoothly," said Gavai.
While speaking at the event, CJI Gavai said that whatever he is today is because of the ideology of B.R. Ambedkar and the “Sanskar (values)” that he got from his parents.
However, the CJI expressed his displeasure at the fact that the Maharashtra chief secretary, DGP and the Mumbai commissioner of police didn’t meet him on his first visit to his home state.
“When the son of this State, who has become the CJI comes to Maharashtra for the first time, if the State's Chief Secretary, Commissioner of Police etc do not want to attend the event, that is best left on their wisdom," said Gavai.
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