Handing Judges Appointment to Government Will Be "Disaster": Kapil Sibal

Kapil Sibal, law minister in the government led by former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, said the government is attempting to "take over" the judiciary – "the last citadel of freedom" -- and said the courts will stand firm against this. In the backdrop of the tussle over judges' appointment and a series of back and forth with the Centre, Mr Sibal made it clear that while the current Collegium system has its drawbacks, giving a carte blanche to the government is not a suitable way out.

In an exclusive interview to NDTV, Mr Sibal said the government wants to have the "final word" on judges' appointment" and giving it that power will be a "disaster".    

Asked about the flurry of comments from Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar and law minister Kiren Rijiju, who at one point warned that they (the government) will "not sit silently forever," Mr Sibal retorted, "They have not been silent on any other issue why would they be silent on this?"

"This is the last citadel of freedom they have yet to capture. They captured all other institutions (pardon my saying) from the Election Commission to post of Governors to Vice Chancellors of universities to the ED (Enforcement Directorate) and the CBI (Central Bureau of Investigation), the NIA (National Investigation Agency) and of course the media," he said.