BJP’s Sarma Responds To Nishikant Dubey’s Comments, Slams Congress For Past Attacks on Judiciary

India

oi-Ruchika Pareek

Published: Monday, April 21, 2025, 11:57 [IST]

Assam
Chief
Minister
Himanta
Biswa
Sarma
has
replied
to
the
ongoing
issue
over
statements
made
by
BJP
MPs
that
target
the
Supreme
Court
by
blaming
the
Congress
of
continuously
undermining
the
judiciary.
By
citing
incidents
where
the
BJP
openly
attacked
judges,
Sarma
attempted
to
turn
the
attention
to
the
Congress.
His
words
followed
inflammatory
remarks
made
by
Godda
MP
Nishikant
Dubey,
which
prompted
BJP
president
JP
Nadda
to
step
in
and
disassociate
the
party
from
the
remarks.

Sarma
underlined
that
as
a
cornerstone
of
India’s
democracy,
the
BJP
has
consistently
supported
the
independence
and
dignity
of
the
judiciary.
Sarma
reaffirmed
the
party’s
commitment
to
judicial
independence
in
reaction
to
Dubey’s
comments,
which
BJP
Chief
Nadda
quickly
denied.

Nadda
underlined
that
the
BJP
firmly
believes
that
the
judiciary
should
be
immune
from
political
influence
and
has
a
deep
respect
for
judicial
institutions.

Sarma
reiterated
the
BJP’s
stance
while
pointing
out
the
Congress
Party’s
past
dealings
with
the
judiciary,
mentioning
multiple
occasions
in
which
Congress
members
openly
attacked
judges.
Sarma
made
reference
to
Dipak
Mishra,
the
former
Chief
Justice
of
India,
who
was
the
target
of
an
unprecedented
impeachment
move
by
the
Congress
and
other
opposition
parties,
even
though
there
was
insufficient
evidence
to
support
the
charges.
The
attacks
on
previous
Chief
Justice
Ranjan
Gogoi
after
his
rulings,
including
the
historic
Ayodhya
verdict,
were
also
brought
to
Sarma’s
attention.

Sarma
also
brought
up
the
scrutiny
that
former
Supreme
Court
Justice
Arun
Mishra
was
under
and
chastised
Congress
for
singling
him
out
for
criticism
because
of
his
rulings
and
purported
closeness
to
the
administration.
The
Assam
Chief
Minister
also
cited
complaints
made
against
Justice
DY
Chandrachud
for
his
interpretations
of
the
law
in
important
cases.
Sarma
also
recalled
how
the
Congress
accused
Justice
S.
Abdul
Nazeer
of
undermining
judicial
independence
when
he
was
appointed
Governor
of
Andhra
Pradesh
upon
his
retirement
from
the
Supreme
Court.

Sarma
claims
that
this
trend
of
selective
criticism
from
the
Congress
indicates
a
propensity
to
question
the
judiciary’s
legitimacy
when
its
rulings
conflict
with
the
political
interests
of
the
party.
Sarma
maintained
that
such
acts
create
a
risky
precedent
in
the
democratic
process
in
addition
to
undermining
the
judiciary’s
credibility.

Regardless
of
whether
the
rulings
support
their
political
agendas,
Sarma
emphasized
that
political
parties
must
treat
court
rulings
consistently
and
with
respect.
He
underlined
that
deference
to
the
judiciary
ought
to
be
a
core
value,
independent
of
successful
decisions.
In
closing,
Sarma
urged
opposition
parties
to
think
more
broadly
and
make
sure
that
their
comments
are
grounded
in
principles
rather
than
political
expediency.

Nishikant
Dubey
shared
Sarma’s
post
on
X
and
a
couplet
by
Fani
Badayuni,
perhaps
referencing
the
political
pressure
that
caused
the
party
to
distance
itself
from
his
divisive
remarks.
Strong
reactions
followed
Dubey’s
comments,
which
included
claims
of
judicial
overreach
in
the
Tamil
Nadu
case.
Dubey
had
argued
that
the
Supreme
Court’s
jurisdiction
to
impose
deadlines
on
the
President
and
Governors
to
approve
measures
was
infringing
on
the
executive
branch’s
authority.

Following
the
issue,
Nadda
reiterated
the
BJP’s
support
for
the
judiciary
and
stressed
that
Dubey’s
remarks
were
personal
thoughts,
claiming
that
the
party
had
nothing
to
do
with
them.
He
went
on
to
say
that
the
party
has
told
its
leaders
not
to
say
things
like
that
again.

Opposition
politicians
sharply
criticized
the
BJP
MPs’
comments.
Asaduddin
Owaisi,
the
head
of
AIMIM,
denounced
the
assaults
on
the
Supreme
Court
and
reminded
BJP
leaders
that
the
court
was
given
special
authority
by
the
Constitution’s
provisions,
particularly
Article
142.
Jairam
Ramesh,
a
Congress
lawmaker,
charged
that
BJP
officials
were
attempting
to
weaken
the
Supreme
Court,
especially
in
view
of
its
decisions
on
matters
like
electoral
bonds.
Vice-President
Jagdeep
Dhankhar
added
his
voice
to
the
ongoing
discussion
about
judicial
independence
and
the
balance
of
power
in
India’s
democracy
by
denouncing
the
Supreme
Court’s
influence
over
issues
such
as
presidential
choices.