Govt defends ex-SC judge’s appointment as governor

In an apparent swipe at the Congress after it questioned the appointment of a retired Supreme Court judge as a governor, the government defended the appointment retired Supreme Court judge S Abdul Nazeer as the governor of Andhra Pradesh.
Union Law Minister Kiren Rijiju said the “whole ecosystem” is once again in “full swing” over the issue.
They should better understand that they can no longer treat India as their “personal fiefdom”, the minister said on Sunday, without naming anyone.
The government on Sunday appointed six new faces as governors, including Justice S Abdul Nazeer (retd), who was part of the historic 2019 Ayodhya verdict, and four BJP leaders, besides carrying out a rejig of the gubernatorial posts in seven states.
Nazeer has been appointed as the governor of Andhra Pradesh.
The Congress attacked the government over Nazeer’s appointment and called the move a “great threat” to the independence of the judiciary.
Taking to Twitter, Rijiju said India will be guided by the provisions of the Constitution.
“The Whole Eco-system is once again in full swing on the appointment of a Governor. They should better understand that, they can no more treat India as their personal fiefdom. Now, India will be guided by the people of India as per the provisions of the Constitution of India,” the minister tweeted.
Nazeer, who retired on January 4, was part of several path-breaking verdicts, including those on the politically sensitive Ayodhya land dispute, instant ‘triple talaq’ and the one that held the right to privacy to be a fundamental right.
Qualified person can be given any post: Anurag Thakur on retired SC judge Nazeer’s appointment as AP governor
Lauding the decision of naming retired Supreme Court judge S Abdul Nazeer as the governor of Andhra Pradesh, Union minister and BJP leader Anurag Thakur said that any qualified person can be given any post and his ability should not be questioned.
Responding to a query on the appointment of Nazeer, Thakur, who holds Sports, and Information & Broadcasting portfolios, said, “Any ‘kabil’ (qualified) person can be given any post. That person’s ability should not be questioned”.
Thakur didn’t respond to queries on the Hindenburg Research report which had alleged stock manipulation by Adani Group, a charge denied by the Gautam Adani-led conglomerate.
Nazeer, who retired on January 4, was part of several path-breaking verdicts, including those on the politically sensitive Ayodhya land dispute, instant ‘triple talaq’ and the one that held the right to privacy to be a fundamental right.
The government on Sunday appointed six new faces as governors and four BJP leaders, besides carrying out a rejig of the gubernatorial posts in seven states.
Andhra Pradesh’s ruling party YSR Congress on Monday dismissed as “ill-founded” the objections of the opposition parties over appointment of retired Supreme Court judge Justice S. Abdul Nazeer as the state’s Governor.
YSRCP Parliamentary Party leader V. Vijayasai Reddy said that all eminent citizens have equal right to become Governor.
“Objections of the opposition on Justice Abdul Nazeer’s appointment as the Governor of AP are ill-founded. Article 157 is clear on the qualifications for the appointment of Governor. All eminent citizens have an equal right to become a Governor of a State,” tweeted the Rajya Sabha member.
The Congress had on Sunday criticised the appointment of Justice Nazeer as the Governor. Party spokesperson Abhishek Singhvi alleged that this is being made a tradition which is wrong.
Singhvi recalled statement of late BJP leader Arun Jaitley that the desire of a post-retirement job influences pre-retirement judgements, and the former Union Minister had termed this as a threat to the independence of judiciary.
Justice Nazeer, who hails from Karnataka, was on the Constitution bench of the Supreme Court that delivered verdict in Ayodhya case.
He was also on the full bench that delivered the verdict on the triple talaq controversy.
Welcoming Justice Nazeer, Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy said on Sunday that he is looking forward to working with him in unravelling Andhra Pradesh’s full potential.
Justice Nazeer succeeded Biswa Bhusan Harichandan, who was moved to Chhattisgarh Raj Bhavan.
Harichandan, a senior BJP leader from Odisha, had assumed office as Governor in July 2019, a couple of months after YSRCP came to power.
Meanwhile, Chief Minister Jagan Mohan Reddy along with his wife Y.S. Bharathi Reddy, called on Harichandan and his wife Suprava Harichandan at Raj Bhavan on Monday.
He thanked Harichandan for the services rendered to the state and wished him best in his new role as the Governor of Chhattisgarh.