Jagdeep Dhankhar Steps Down After Controversial Term as Vice President

New Delhi:

Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar's sudden resignation late Monday night ended a term that was frequently in the news for his outspoken criticism of the judiciary and conflicts with the opposition. His appointment as Chairman of the Rajya Sabha on December 2022 was as notable in parliamentary practice as in his acidic attacks on the courts, particularly the judgments of the Supreme Court on appointments of judges of the superior judiciary.

From the beginning, Dhankhar's assumption of the Upper House leadership position was contentious. He publicly criticised the Supreme Court's 2015 decision to invalidate the National Judicial Appointments Commission (NJAC) Act during the Winter Session of Parliament in December 2022, referring to it as a "glaring instance" of judicial overreach. He reiterated his remarks from a week earlier when he told the House on December 7 that "this is a severe compromise of parliamentary sovereignty and a disregard of the mandate of the people."

As "the custodian of the ordainment of the people," he maintained that Parliament must take action to regain its power and declared his confidence that "it will do so." The NJAC Act, passed by the Parliament and concurred in by 20 state legislatures, was intended to bring changes in the selection process of higher-courts judges by involving executive and civil society. But the Supreme Court declared it unconstitutional, upholding the Collegium system's supremacy.

The constant intervention Dhankhar made in this issue pointed to a very unusual conflict between the judiciary and legislature. His position was also criticised by the legal experts and the leaders of the opposition who warned that such utterances will compromise independence of the judiciary.

During his tenure as vice president, he also frequently clashed with the Rajya Sabha's opposition benches. Dhankhar was known to be witty, a strong leader who often disagreed with opposition leaders on speeches, decisions and procedural matters. His management of discussions with thorny political topics has earned criticism and applause depending on the party line.

Dhankhar had recommended accountability in the judiciary in April this year after huge amounts of money were found in the residence of a judge of the High Court and the bar had been set even high. Most people viewed his remarks as yet another case of crossing the bridge of constitutions despite him not giving the identity of the judge and the court.

Prior to joining the vice president office, Dhankhar served as the governor of West Bengal between 2019 and 2022; he would regularly conflict with the Trinamool Congress government, headed by Mamata Banerjee. He questioned the decisions and actions of the state government on a regular basis which won him both support and disapproval in various quarters.

Although no formal explanation had been given as of the time of publication, Dhankhar's abrupt resignation has sparked speculation about the reasons behind the decision. With his departure everyone has started wondering who will fill his position and how the vice presidential position will be affected by the present state of politics.