New Delhi: A day after BJP president J.P. Nadda rejected party MP Nishikant Dubey’s criticism of the Supreme Court, more BJP leaders launched fresh attacks on the judiciary—accusing it of silence on issues like West Bengal violence, cash recoveries from a judge’s residence, and judicial ‘overreach’—despite Nadda’s call to refrain from targeting the apex court.
Several BJP leaders have rallied behind Dubey, also attacking the Congress for its past confrontations with the judiciary and arguing that the party has no moral right to be part of the current debate.
Bengal BJP General Secretary Agnimitra Paul said, “Nishikant Dubey has said the right thing. How can the CJI overrule the President of India? The President appoints CJI, policymakers make rules. If the country is run by the CJI and the Supreme Court, then there is no need for the Parliament.”
In light of Vice-President Jagdeep Dhankhar and Nishikant Dubey’s disparaging remarks against the judiciary over its observations on the Waqf Act, Supreme Court Justice B.R. Gavai, while hearing an unrelated plea, said, “As it is, we are alleged to be encroaching upon the parliamentary and executive functions.”
Despite BJP president J.P. Nadda’s instruction to avoid targeting the judiciary, party leaders have continued to criticise the Supreme Court. Subrat Pathak, former MP from Kannauj and general secretary of BJP’s Uttar Pradesh unit—who has previously questioned the judiciary’s integrity—said to the media: “It is very disappointing if the Supreme Court is seen to be discriminating. This perception alone can erode public faith in the institution. The biggest concern is that such a large amount of cash was found at a judge’s residence and yet there are no answers. Naturally, questions will be raised about the judiciary and the Supreme Court.”
Pathak was referring to the cash recovered from the official residence of justice Yashwant Varma last month.
BJP leaders are rallying behind Nishikant Dubey, who, like Anurag Thakur, has emerged as a favoured speaker within the party for aggressively raising Hindu causes and targeting Muslims. Manan Kumar Mishra, a Rajya Sabha MP from Bihar elected last year and chairperson of a Bar Council, also questioned the Supreme Court’s intentions, alleging bias in how it selects cases for hearing.
“On the Manipur issue, the Supreme Court took a suo motu cognisance, but we are seeing that several parts of West Bengal are burning, but the eyes of the Supreme Court are closed. The entire country is looking at the Supreme Court that the SC would give direction to the Govt to impose President’s rule in West Bengal, but the Supreme Court is silent,” Mishra said to ANI.
Many BJP leaders are also questioning the Congress’s moral standing to attack Dubey. They argue that Congress leaders themselves have a history of undermining the judiciary.
For instance, while labelling Dubey’s comments as his “personal opinion”, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma in an X post cited several instances where Congress members have allegedly humiliated judges in the past.
Citing instances of impeachment motion against Justice Dipak Misra, criticism of Justice Ranjan Gogoi over Ayodhya verdict, “undue scrutiny” of Justice D.Y. Chandrachud, among others, Sarma said that all these suggest a “tendency within the Congress Party to challenge the judiciary’s credibility when decisions are unfavourable to their political narrative”.
“Such selective criticism not only undermines the sanctity of judicial processes but also sets a concerning precedent for democratic discourse,” he added.
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has consistently upheld the independence and dignity of the judiciary as a cornerstone of India’s democracy.
Recently, Hon’ble BJP President Shri @JPNadda ji reaffirmed this commitment by distancing the party from remarks made by Hon’ble MP Shri… pic.twitter.com/iI2yqPogVB
— Himanta Biswa Sarma (@himantabiswa) April 20, 2025
Dubey reacted to Sarma’s post with a couplet in Hindi. “Life is torment, with no signs of relief in sight. Ah, this prison needs neither bars nor chains to confine”.
BJP IT cell head Amit Malviya shared a clip on X from an old interview, saying: “Indira Gandhi—the Congress must know its own past.” In the video, Gandhi is heard questioning a top court judge’s ability to assess political and economic challenges. The clip dates back to 1977, when she was responding to the Shah Commission set up to investigate the excesses of the Emergency.
“How does Mr Shah know what is happening in the political world? What are the forces at work which want to destroy a developing economy? Is a judge competent to decide that? Then why have democracy? Why have elections? Why have political people in power?” says Indira Gandhi in the video shared by the BJP leader.
Nishikant Dubey, too, has continued his campaign by questioning the judiciary’s integrity during the Congress regime. In two separate posts, Dubey singled out two judges appointed under Congress rule—Kailas Nath Wanchoo, who became Chief Justice without a law degree, and Baharul Islam, who had worked for Congress before becoming a judge.
Meanwhile, former chief election commissioner S.Y. Quraishi, in a post on X, quoted Irish playwright George Bernard Shaw: “‘I learned long ago, never to wrestle with a pig. You get dirty, and besides, the pig likes it.’—George Bernard Shaw, a very wise quote of the great author!”
(Edited by Zinnia Ray Chaudhuri)
Also read: Nadda draws the line, but unease over Supreme Court’s moves continues to simmer within BJP
