The 45th Chief Justice of India, Justice Dipak Mishra is probably the most well known Supreme Court judge in recent times. His honesty and fearless stance have been on display at various times in his career. Most notably, while leading the bench that rejected the 1993 Mumbai serial blasts convict Yakub Memon’s appeal to stop execution. Having received a letter containing death threat did not deter CJI Dipak Mishra and the bench imposed death penalty on Yakub Memon. Another widely recognized judgment authored by him was on the brutal 2012 Delhi gang rape case which confirmed death penalty for four convicts. He was also part of the bench that ordered the playing of the National Anthem mandatory in Cinema halls. One would expect praises and accolades for such a nationalist and fearless personality. So why did Congress want to move an impeachment motion against him?
CJI Dipak Mishra is leading the bench of judges on the Ram Mandir, Ayodhya case. The Congress has tried time and again to stall judgment in this sensitive case. They simply refuse to acknowledge the sentiments of the people across India associated with Ram Mandir. The disruption in lives of the common people, the tension it will continue to stir in India till it remains unsolved, is not a cause for concern for the Congress party. The Congress has silently rejoiced and celebrated every time this case is dragged. The resolution provided by the Court would be conclusive and binding. The resolving of this issue will also be a tick on the BJP’s checklist of promises. And obviously, Congress can never allow that to happen.
While the blame for rousing the Babri Masjid/Ram Mandir case has always been borne by the Bharatiya Janta Party, Congress has done its fair share in complicating the case and has impeded a resolution of the dispute. While the prudent solution would have been the setting up of a fast track court with an able and impartial bench as early as possible, Congress chose to do nothing in all the years of its rule. When the BJP came to power in 2014, it was amongst the primary agendas on the manifesto. CJI Dipak Mishra’s decision to continue with the hearings and to put an end to this issue in a just manner has not gone down well with the Congress leaders.
Congress, thanks to its allies, has more than the 50 minimum proposers needed to present the impeachment motion in the house on the final day of the Union Budget. But, it simply lacks the two-thirds majority needed to pass the motion. Some allies of the Congress have allegedly developed cold feet. The idea behind trying to remove a judge who is anyway going to retire later this year is a silly one. All the hoopla being created is to stop the final verdict from coming out before the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. After senior lawyer/ Congress leader Kapil Sibal failed in December 2017 to get the judgment on the Ram Mandir case deferred to after the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, the Congress tried to get the desired results this time by using baser means.
With the hidden agendas of Congress out in the open, the motive & drive to bring the impeachment motion has died. Senior party leader Mallikarjun Kharge on Thursday told The Indian Express that the “issue has been closed.” The Congress knows it is just not going to work this time. The decision will come and justice will once again prevail. Justice Dipak Mishra will head the bench which decides the fate of the Ayodhya Ram Mandir case and the Congress can do nothing about it.
