Constitution should be credited for keeping country united during crises: CJI Gavai
Chief Justice of India (CJI) B.R. Gavai on Saturday (May 31, 2025) said that whenever the country has faced a crisis, it has remained united and strong, and that the Constitution should be credited for this.
The CJI was addressing a function after the inauguration of advocate chambers and a multi-level parking at the Allahabad High Court.
'When the Constitution was being made and its final draft was presented before the Constituent Assembly, at that time some people used to say that the Constitution is too federal, while some used to say that it is too unitary. Baba Saheb Bhimrao Ambedkar had replied that the Constitution is neither wholly federal nor wholly unitary. But one thing I can tell you is that we have given a Constitution which will keep India united and strong both in times of peace and war,' CJI Gavai said.
He said India has been on the path of development after independence due to the Constitution.
'Today we see what is the condition of our neighbouring countries. And India is making a journey towards development after independence. Whenever there has been a crisis in the country, it has remained united and strong. The credit for this should be given to the Constitution,' he said.
'It is our fundamental duty to reach out to the last citizen of this country who needs justice. Be it the legislature, the executive or the judiciary, everyone has to reach out to that citizen,' the CJI told the gathering.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Indian Express
26 minutes ago
- Indian Express
SC: No contempt if Parliament and state legislature simply make laws
The Supreme Court has said that any law enacted by Parliament or a state legislature 'subsequent' to a court order cannot be held an act of contempt, and the enactment would have the 'force of law' unless declared 'null and void' by a Constitutional Court. A bench of Justices B V Nagarathna and S C Sharma said this in a May 15 order disposing of a 2012 contempt plea alleging that the Chhattisgarh government failed to comply with the SC's directions to stop support to vigilante groups like Salwa Judum and arming tribals in the name of special police officers (SPO) in the fight against Maoists. The contempt plea contended that even after the SC on July 5, 2011 ordered winding up of Salwa Judum's activities, the Chhattisgarh government in September that year legislated the Chhattisgarh Auxiliary Armed Police Force Act, 2011, which authorised an auxiliary armed force to assist security forces in dealing with Maoist violence and legalised existing SPOs by inducting them as members. The contempt plea — as well as the main petition on which the SC's 2011 order had come — were filed by former Delhi University professor Nandini Sundar, author Ramachandra Guha and former Andhra Pradesh Tribal Affairs Secretary E A S Sharma. 'The passing of an enactment subsequent to the order of this Court by the legislature of the State of Chhattisgarh cannot, in our view, be said to be an act of contempt of the order passed by this Court…', the bench said. 'Every State Legislature has plenary powers to pass an enactment and so long as the said enactment has not been declared to be ultra vires the Constitution or, in any way, null and void by a Constitutional Court, the said enactment would have the force of law.' The bench said that under the Constitution, the judiciary is vested with the power to resolve interpretive doubts and disputes about the validity or otherwise of an enacted law by the Parliament or any state legislature. 'However, the interpretative power of a Constitutional Court does not contemplate a situation of declaring exercise of legislative functions and passing of an enactment as an instance of a contempt of a Court,' it added. The bench sought to remind that 'central to the legislative function is the power of the legislative organ to enact as well as amend laws' and 'any law made by the Parliament or a State Legislature cannot be held to be an act of contempt of a Court, including this Court, for simply making the law.' 'A legislature has, inter alia, the powers to pass a law, to remove the basis of a judgment or in the alternative, validate a law which has been struck down by a Constitutional Court by amending or varying it so as to give effect to the judgment of a Constitutional Court which has struck down a portion of an enactment or for that matter the entire enactment,' it said. 'This is the core of the doctrine of separation of powers and must always be acknowledged in a constitutional democracy such as ours,' it said.
Time of India
28 minutes ago
- Time of India
HC restrains NHAI from collecting fee in two toll plazas
Madurai: Madras high court on Tuesday restrained the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) from collecting toll fees in two toll plazas situated on the Madurai-Tuticorin national highway stretch, after taking into account the fact that the road was not maintained properly and saplings were not planted on both sides of the road. A division bench of justice S M Subramaniam and justice A D Maria Clete passed the order while disposing of a public interest litigation filed by V Balakrishnan, a retired Tangedco assistant executive engineer from Tuticorin district. The petitioner stated that the contract for the Madurai-Tuticorin highway was awarded in 2006 and the highway stretch was put to use in 2011. He stated that as per the contract, the contractor was to plant trees on both sides and on the centre median; however, the work was carried out partially. The contractor collected tolls from two toll plazas from the date of usage of the roads. But the contractor failed to maintain the road, and many portions of the road were not motorable due to lack of proper maintenance. He stated that NHAI remained a silent spectator of all the lapses and irregularities committed by the contractor without initiating any kind of action to fulfil the terms and conditions of the contract. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like ¿Cómo obtener un segundo ingreso invirtiendo $100 en AES CFD? PentyMedia Más información Undo Sensing the seriousness, the agreement was terminated in 2023. It is also seen from the RTI reply that about 563.83 crore are recoverable from the contractor for his failure to plant roadside avenues and maintain the roads. The petitioner stated that after taking over the road, NHAI continued to collect the tolls previously collected by the contractor. The action of the NHAI is totally baseless and illogical because it has not spent any money towards the construction of the road. The estimated project cost was 920 crore. However, the contractor collected 932.44 crore, without spending 563.83 crore towards maintenance and plantations. He stated that NHAI miserably and deliberately failed to take timely action against the contractor and allowed the contractor to continue with his violation and irregularity for more than 10 years, thereby causing a loss of 563.83 crore, besides causing inconvenience and suffering to the road users. The right to proper road connectivity is the fundamental right guaranteed under Article 21 of the Constitution. Road maintenance is the statutory duty of the authorities, and they ought to have followed it strictly. Hence, the petitioner moved court seeking a direction to the NHAI authorities to initiate action against the contractor and to plant saplings on both sides of the road and the centre median on the highway.
India Gazette
an hour ago
- India Gazette
Kiren Rijiju starts speaking with political parties for impeachment motion against HC Judge Yashwant Varma
New Delhi [India], June 3 (ANI): Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju has started speaking with various political parties for an impeachment motion against High Court judge Yashwant Varma in the next Parliament Session, government sources said on Tuesday. The Supreme Court had constituted an inquiry committee following allegations of 'burnt cash' found at a storeroom of Justice Varma's residence when he was a Judge of the Delhi High Court. The in-house inquiry committee submitted its report on the issue last month, which has since been forwarded to the Prime Minister and the President of India. 'The Parliamentary Affairs Minister has started speaking to all parties for impeachment motion against HC judge Yashwant Varma,' a source said. On May 4, a panel of judges tasked with conducting an internal inquiry into allegations of cash being discovered at Justice Yashwant Varma's official residence submitted its report to the then Chief Justice of India, Sanjiv Khanna. According to an official communication from the Supreme Court, the three-member committee, comprising Justice Sheel Nagu, Chief Justice of the High Court of Punjab and Haryana, Justice GS Sandhawalia, Chief Justice of the High Court of Himachal Pradesh and Justice Anu Sivaraman, Judge of the High Court of Karnataka concluded its investigation and presented its findings in a report dated May 3. The Chief Justice of India constituted this committee on March 22 to examine the allegations against Justice Yashwant Varma, a sitting judge of the High Court of Delhi. On April 5, Justice Yashwant Varma was sworn in as a judge of the Allahabad High Court under unusual and contentious circumstances. CPI general secretary D Raja had said on Wednesday that credibility of judiciary needs to be restored and his party will support the action against Justice Varma. 'Let them bring the impeachment motion. The Judiciary should understand that it has to work within the framework of the Constitution... To restore the credibility of our judiciary, there must be some strong action. We will support the impeachment motion. But the point is, when will it be brought? We raised several critical questions about the money found in the judge's residence, but concrete action has been delayed... Our party will participate in the debate before the Parliament when this issue is discussed,' Raja told ANI. Vice President Jagdeep Dhankar had last month referred to the cash-discovery row, saying there is no FIR to date. 'We're confronted with the jarring reality. A judge's residence in Lutyens Delhi had burnt notes. There is no FIR to in the country is now thinking whether this will be washed off or fade with time, and they are really concerned. How come the criminal justice system was not operationalised as it would have been done for every other individual?... This issue for which people are waiting with bated breath, the money trail, its source, its purpose,' Dhankhar said at an event in the national capital. 'Did it pollute the judicial system? Who are the bigger sharks? We need to find out. Already two months have gone by. An investigation is required to be conducted with expedition. So is the case with the registration of an FIR. I do hope and believe that the Supreme Court acted the very best so far because it had a legacy issue of judgments imparted in the nineties,' he added. He lauded some of the steps taken by the Supreme Court. 'But now is the time to take a call. Partly the confidence has been restored by Justice Khanna. When you put in public domain documentation which people thought will never be shown to them. That was a big step by him to project accountability and transparency. If democratic values have to prosper, I am sure this is a test case. There must be a swift investigation by those concerned with the investigation,' the Vice President said. (ANI)
