After BJP’s Dubey says CJI behind ‘civil wars’, J P Nadda says told him not to make such statements

He also criticised the Supreme Court’s recent decisions – on red-flagging aspects of the Waqf law and suggesting it could stay them, and setting a timeline for the President to clear Bills. Underlining that it is the Parliament which makes laws, he said in a post on X: “Kanoon yadi Supreme Court hi banayega to Sansad Bhavan bandh kar dena chahiye (If the Supreme Court makes the law, then Parliament House should be closed).”

क़ानून यदि सुप्रीम कोर्ट ही बनाएगा तो संसद भवन बंद कर देना चाहिये

— Dr Nishikant Dubey (@nishikant_dubey) April 19, 2025

Hours later, in a post on X at night, Nadda distanced the BJP from Dubey’s remarks. “The BJP has nothing to do with the statements made by BJP MPs Nishikant Dubey and Dinesh Sharma on the judiciary and the CJI. These are their personal statements but the BJP neither agrees with such statements nor does it ever support such statements. The BJP completely rejects these statements,” Nadda said.

“BJP has always respected the judiciary and gladly accepted its orders and suggestions because, as a party, we believe that all the courts of the country, including the Supreme Court, are an integral part of our democracy and are the strong pillar protecting our Constitution. I have instructed both of them, and everyone else, not to make such statements,” Nadda said.

Party sources said there was no talk of any disciplinary action yet.

Earlier in the day, Dubey had told The Indian Express that he had not talked to his party before expressing his views. When contacted after Nadda’s public posts, Dubey said he would follow the party line. “I am a disciplined soldier of the party. I will go by what the party says,” he told The Indian Express.

Speaking to The Indian Express earlier, Dubey said: “Tell me wherefrom is this three-month condition on the President, the appointing authority of the Chief Justice of India, imposed by the Supreme Court? Which Article of the Constitution says the court can impose three months? It is only Parliament which can amend the Constitution. If the court believes that it is its work, let Parliament and Assemblies be shut down.”

He also posted his ANI video clips on the issue on X. In one of the clips, he says that the National Judicial Appointments Commission (NJAC) Act for judicial appointments would be discussed at the next Parliament session. Passed by Parliament in 2014, the NJAC Act was struck down by the Supreme Court the next year.

“Is desh ka kanoon Parliament banaata hai. Uss Parliament ko aap dictate karenge? (The Parliament makes the laws of this country. Will you dictate to that Parlaiment)… We have it in writing what the rights of the President, Vice-President, Prime Minister, Parliament, Supreme Court and High Courts are. When everything is written, where did you get a new law from? Which law says that the President has to decide in three months? This means that you want to take this country towards anarchy. And this country does not tolerate anarchy. When a new law will be made, when Parliament will sit again, it will discuss in detail… the NJAC. Your nepotism will no longer work to choose Judges.”

“Scheduled Caste judge nahin hai, Scheduled Tribe judge nahin hai, OBC judge nahin hai. Maximum Savarna judge baithe hain (There are no SC, ST and OBC judges. The maximum judges are from Savarna groups),” he told The Indian Express, adding that they shouldn’t act as they wish.

Dubey, a four-time MP from Jharkhand, is chairman of the parliamentary committee on communications and information technology, and member of the committee on commerce, since September 2024.

Earlier, Vice-President Jagdeep Dhankhar had also criticised the Supreme Court’s decision to set a timeline for the President to clear Bills.

Responding to Dubey’s remarks, the Congress on Saturday accused the BJP of deliberately targeting and weakening the Supreme Court. “Those holding Constitutional posts, ministers and even BJP MPs are all speaking against the Supreme Court, which is only saying that while making laws, don’t go against the basic structure of the Constitution,” party leader Jairam Ramesh said. “It is clear that different voices are emerging deliberately to target the Supreme Court,” he said.

With PTI