"Defamatory...attack on SC is not acceptable": Congress leader Manickam Tagore on Nishikant Dubey's statement

New Delhi [India], April 19 (ANI): Congress leader Manickam Tagore on Saturday termed Bharatiya Janata Party leader Nishikant Dubey's statement on the Supreme Court "defamatory," and said that his attack on the top court is "not acceptable."
"This is a defamatory statement against the Supreme Court. Nishikant Dubey is a person who continuously demolishes all other institutions. Now, he has attacked the Supreme Court. I hope that the Supreme Court judges will take this into notice as he is not speaking in Parliament but outside it. His attack on the Supreme Court is not acceptable," Tagore told ANI.
Congress MP Imran Masood said that the reported statement made by the BJP leader is "unfortunate."
"The kind of statements that are coming against the Supreme Court are very unfortunate...This is not the first time that the Supreme Court has given a decision against the full majority government...This frustration is incomprehensible," Masood said.
The Congress leader's remarks come after Nishikant Dubey, in a post on Hindi, attacked the Supreme Court on Saturday.
"If the Supreme Court makes the law, then the Parliament House should be closed down," Dubey posted on X.
Earlier on April 17, Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar said India cannot have a situation where the judiciary directs the President, adding that Article 142 of the Constitution has become a "nuclear missile against democratic forces for the judiciary.
Speaking at the Valedictory Function of the sixth Rajya Sabha Internship Programme, Dhankhar proposed an amendment to Article 145(3), which deals with the composition of the bench required to decide substantial questions of constitutional law.
"We cannot have a situation where you direct the President of India, and on what basis? The only right you have under the Constitution is to interpret the Constitution under Article 145(3). There, it has to be five judges or more. When Article 145(3) was there, the number of judges in the Supreme Court was eight, 5 out of 8, now 5 out of 30 and odd. But forget about it; the judges who issued a mandamus virtually to the President and presented a scenario that it would be the law of the land have forgotten the power of the Constitution. How can that combination of judges deal with something under Article 145(3) if preserved, it was then for five out of eight. We also need to make amends for that now. Five out of eight would mean interpretation will be by majority. Well, five constitutes more than the majority in eight. But leave that aside. Article 142 has become a nuclear missile against Democratic forces, available to the judiciary 24 x 7," Dhankar said.
Following his statement, opposition leaders criticised Vice President Dhankhar for his remarks. (ANI)