New Delhi : The Congress party on Friday outrightly rejected former union law minister Hansraj Bhardwaj’s allegation that his party colleagues had asked him to influence the judiciary during his time in office, saying that the party ‘respects the judiciary’ and can never even imagine to interfere in its matters.
“We outrightly reject this. I have seen Bharadwaj’s statement. He has made it clear that he had never pressurised the judiciary, because it was not possible to do so. Indian National Congress respects the judiciary, we cannot even imagine pressurising the judiciary. Neither Manmohan Singh nor any of his cabinet ministers approached the judiciary for this,” Congress spokesperson Randeep Surjewala told ANI.
Bhardwaj had earlier today alleged that some of his Congress Party colleagues, especially former HRD Minister Arjun Singh, had asked him to influence the judiciary during his time in office under the first Manmohan Singh-led UPA Government from 2004 to 2009.
He was referring to a 2005 Supreme Court verdict, which stopped the UPA Government from imposing President’s rule in Bihar when a Janata Dal (United) and BJP coalition was attempting to form a government.
The UPA Government wanted the ruling to be in its favour, but the apex court thought otherwise. (ANI)