'HCs running parallel govt': Congress questions Solicitor General's comment

The Congress party has questioned Solicitor General Tushar Mehta’s remarks that high courts in India are ‘running a parallel government in the country’, and also asked whether the statement was meant to browbeat the courts.

Accusing the central government of displaying an arrogant attitude, former Law Minister and Congress leader Kapil Sibal stated that whether the comment was meant to browbeat the courts. He added that this displays a very arrogant attitude that should not be articulated in such a fashion.

The Congress also stated that the government had displayed a similar arrogance in the past, with Kapil Sibal citing a few instances and alleging that some high court judges got transferred after they delivered judgements which were ‘uncomfortable’. He added that the courts and the government must take note of this.

Sibal explained that unless the courts in India are alive to everything that is happening on the ground, this kind of attack and expression is not conducive to a democratic environment. This government also labelled a journalist as a ‘vulture’, and in saying so, he feels that the government has forgotten its culture. Congress has condemned the remark.

It was a watershed moment for India on March 24, when the nationwide COVID-19 lockdown was announced. He also said that the people in the country have forced the government to forget its agenda of polarisation, and instead emphasize on problems posed by the pandemic.

RELATED NEWS: Delhi govt seeks ₹5,000 crore from Centre to pay employees salaries

The Congress leader said that before March 24, the agenda of the government was only about Article 370, National Register of Citizens (NRC), population register, Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, Citizenship (Amendment) Act, Triple Talaq, and not about healthcare, education, or concerns for the poor. He said that had the government concentrated on issues concerning people, India would have been different today.