New Delhi: In a sharp rebuke, Union Minister Kiren Rijiju criticised Rajya Sabha MP and senior advocate Kapil Sibal, saying Parliament will not function based on one individual’s personal agenda. Rijiju’s remarks come amid a heated row over the impeachment proceedings against Justices Yashwant Varma and Shekhar Yadav.
Dismissing Sibal as an “average lawyer,” Rijiju alleged,
“Kapil Sibal is a senior person, but he is only driven by his personal agenda. He doesn’t care about anyone else. Parliament cannot be sermonised by one MP.”
Sibal had recently urged opposition parties to not support any government move to impeach Justice Yashwant Varma until an investigation is initiated against Justice Shekhar Yadav, whose comments were deemed “communal” by some lawmakers.
In response, Rijiju told PTI:
“He (Sibal) thinks he can guide Parliament and then go back to court. But many MPs are far ahead of him in terms of knowledge and intellect.”
He further stated,
“Parliament will be guided by all its members, not by one lawyer MP’s whims. We are working purely in the interest of the country.”
Rijiju maintained that any decision regarding judicial impeachment must be taken within the rules laid out by the Constitution, reiterating that Parliament is the only authority empowered to remove judges of the Supreme Court and High Courts.
The minister clarified that he would not pre-empt any motion regarding the removal of judges since the upcoming Parliament session starts on July 21.
Sibal has been vocal about a pending impeachment petition against Justice Shekhar Yadav, signed by 55 opposition MPs, and accused the government of shielding the judge.