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Vice President Jagdeep Dhankar emphasised the importance of the rule of law on Thursday, saying that the "purity" of the criminal justice system in a democratic nation defines its direction.
"In a democratic nation, the purity of its criminal justice system defines its direction...for a criminal investigation, the initiation has to be by an FIR, First Information Report. It is the law of the land that every cognizable offence is required to be reported to the police, and failure to do so, failure to report a cognizable offence, is a crime; therefore, you all will be wondering why there has been no FIR," the Vice President said. Addressing the 6th batch of Rajya Sabha interns at the Vice-President's Enclave today, Dhankar referred to the recent controversy of cash being discovered at the residence of a Delhi High Court judge. "The answer is simple. An FIR in this country can be registered against anyone, any Constitutional functionary, including the one before you. One has only to activate the rule of law. No permission is required. But if it is a judge, their category, an FIR cannot be registered straightaway. It has to be approved by the concerned judiciary, but that is not given in the Constitution," the VP said. He said that every Indian was concerned about the "immunity" secured by the judges since an FIR cannot be registered straightaway. "The Constitution of India has accorded immunity from prosecution only to the Honourable President and the Honourable Governors. So, how come a category beyond the law has secured this immunity? The ill effects of this are being felt in the minds of one and all. Every Indian, young and old, is deeply concerned," Dhankar added. Underscoring the importance of transparency, Dhankhar stated that an investigation into corruption complaints against High Court judges was stayed on the grounds of the judiciary's independence. This independence, he added, was no protection and not some kind of "impregnable cover against probes." "On January 27, 2025, a seven-member Lokpal bench headed by a former Supreme Court judge ruled. It possessed the jurisdiction to investigate corruption complaints against high court judges. Suo-moto cognisance was taken. And then, it was a stayed on one ground- Independence of judiciary. This independence is not a protection; This independence is not some kind of impregnable cover against enquiry, investigation, or probe. Institutions thrive with transparency, with there being probes. The surest way to degenerate an institution or an individual is to give a total guarantee that there will be no enquiry, no scrutiny, no probe," the Vice President said. (ANI)
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