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New Delhi: Days after the Supreme Court set a deadline for the President to decide on bills referred by governors of states, Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar on Thursday (April 17) lashed out at the top court, calling Article 142 – which gives powers to the apex court – a “nuclear missile against democratic forces” and said that there cannot be a situation where the President of India is given directions by the judiciary. In a sharp reaction to the Supreme Court order delivered earlier this month, Dhankhar said that judges are acting as “super parliament” and have no accountability “because the law of the land does not apply to them.”

Dhankhar’s remarks on Thursday comes weeks after he made critical remarks against the judiciary during the recent budget session of parliament after the alleged discovery of a large amount of cash from a room damaged by fire at Delhi high court Justice Yashwant Varma’s official residence. Dhankhar said that there is no provision of judicial review of a constitutional amendment while referring to the NJAC (National Judicial Appointments Commission) Act which was deemed unconstitutional by the Supreme Court.

“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),” he said while addressing the sixth batch of Rajya Sabha interns at the Vice President’s enclave on Thursday.

“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 it will be law of the land, have forgotten the power of the........

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