'Speaker cannot be the spokesperson of any party', a debate erupts after the Vice President's 'supreme' statement; Who said what?

Posted on 19th Apr 2025 by rohit kumar

A day after Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar publicly criticized the Supreme Court for setting a three-month deadline for the President and Governor to approve bills, a debate has intensified among political and legal experts.

 

While senior Rajya Sabha member and former law minister Kapil Sibal has condemned the Vice President's statement, senior Supreme Court advocate Mahesh Jethmalani has supported it and cited its legality as the basis.

 

DMK objected to Dhankhar's statement

 

At the same time, Congress leader Randeep Surjewala has said that no one is above the law or the Constitution. While the DMK has objected to Dhankhar's statement. Sibal said that everyone knows that the Lok Sabha Speaker's chair is in the middle. He is the chairman of the House. He does not even vote and his vote is cast only when there is a tie. The same happens in the Upper House.

 

He said that you are at an equal distance from the opposition and the ruling party. No speaker can be the spokesperson of any party. I am not saying that he (Dhankhar) is, but in principle, no speaker can be a party spokesperson. If this happens then the dignity of the post falls.

 

Jethmalani praised Dhankhar's strong move.

 

Jethmalani praised Dhankhar's strong move and gave a legal explanation of it, writing on X that while some people may question the propriety of the country's second head (Vice President) coming in the middle of the conflict between two organs of the government (executive and legislature), but pointing out the absolutely obvious constitutional flaw (the Vice President is also an accomplished jurist) that according to Article 145 (3) of the Constitution, the question related to the interpretation of a constitutional provision should be considered only by a bench of five judges and the decision of the two-judge bench was invalid, it would certainly be a discharge of the Vice President's sworn responsibility to maintain the dignity of the Constitution.

 

Surjewala expressed disagreement with the Vice President's statement.

 

At the same time, Surjewala wrote on X that I greatly respect the Vice President's intelligence and eloquence, but respectfully disagree with his statement. No one is above the law or the Constitution, whether it is the President of India or any other official. DMK Deputy General Secretary and Rajya Sabha member Tiruchi Siva wrote on X post that according to the Constitution, the executive, legislature, and judiciary have different powers under the separation of powers. The Vice President's comments on this decision of the Supreme Court are unethical.

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