SC bench with Jospeh asks MCI to work on festivals
Dhananjay Mahapatra
New Delhi:
Six months ago, Justice Kurian Joseph had created a flutter by objecting to Chief Justice of India H L Dattu scheduling the chief justices' conference on April 3 on the ground that it was Good Friday , saying such events were not held on other holy days like Diwali, Dussehra or Eid. On Monday , he was part of a three-judge bench headed by CJI Dattu which took a firm stand against religious occasions being cited as grounds not to work.
The case related to inspection of infrastructure of a medical college in Uttar Pradesh by Medical Council of India (MCI). The bench of CJI Dattu and Justices Joseph and Amitava Roy asked MCI to inspect the medical college in three weeks.
Appearing for MCI, solicitor general Ranjit Kumar sought more time saying the coming weekend had Raksha Bandhan festival and the next weekend had Janmashtami celebrations. He said both being important religious festivals in Uttar Pradesh, it would be difficult for MCI to carry out inspection of the medical college.
The CJI stuck to the stand he had adopted when Justice Jospeh wrote to him, objecting to the scheduling of chief justices' conference on Good Friday . CJI Dattu told the SG that MCI would keep the ground of religious festivities aside and get on with the work. It directed MCI to complete the inspection by September 20.
Justice Joseph, who had loudly protested against the chief justices' conference on the ground of religious festivities, did not have anything to say.
Justice Joseph had questioned the timing of the chief justices' conference and subsequent functions, saying he would be away in Kerala, “committed on account of the holy days when we have religious ceremonies and family get-together as well“. Such events, he added, were not held during Diwali, Dussehra, Holi or Eid.
