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1993 DIGILAW 362 (RAJ)

DALPAT RAJ BHANDARI v. PRESIDENT OF INDIA

1993-07-06

J.R.CHOPRA, R.P.SAXENA

body1993
Judgment ( 1 ) THIS Civil Special Appeal has been directed against the order dated 22-1-91 passed by the learned single Judge of this Court in S. B. Civil Writ Petition No. 3923/90, whereby appellants Writ petition was dismissed summarily on the ground that it involved political matters and as such the Court was not inclined to go into those controversies. ( 2 ) BRIEFLY the relevant facts for disposal of this appeal are that the appellants filed a writ petition under Art. 226 of the Constitution of India and prayed that by an appropriate writ, direction or order, the removal of Shri Devilal, the then Dy. Prime Minister (re-spondent No. 4) by the President of India as reported in Rajasthan Patrika, Jodhpur Edi-tion dated 2/08/1990 (Ext. 1) be quashed and statusquo ante be restored by impleading respondent No. 4 as Dy. Prime Minister in the Union Cabinet or Council of Ministers. The appellants contended that they were trying to bring national truth on Na-tions platform by judicial approach and that they were fighting for the cause of a Rajasthan rural based M. P. , who had been illegally sacked from the Union Cabinet. They how-ever did not file the copy of the impugned order, passed by the President of India dis-missing respondent No. 4 from the Central Council of Ministers on the recommendation of Shri V. P. Singh, the then Prime Minister of India. They also did not file the certified copy of the letter of Shri V. P. Singh written to Shri Devilal. However, they relied on the text of the said letter published in Hindi (Ext. 1/a) in the Rajasthan Patrika dated 2/08/1990. The case of the appellants was that Shri Devilal was dismissed from the Cabinet on the ground that he had violated the principles of collective responsibility of the Council of Ministers, that he had allegedly written a forged letter and levelled corruption charges against his colleagues and failed to submit any proof thereof despite opportunity and that he had also accused the Prime Minister in an interview given to Illustrated Weekly. The appellants contended that the Constitution of India does not provide any specific method for removal of the Dy. The appellants contended that the Constitution of India does not provide any specific method for removal of the Dy. Prime Minister or the Minister and that as per provisions of Art. 367, unless the context otherwise requires, the provisions of General Clauses Act, 1897 shall, subject to any adop-tion or modifications that may be made therein under Art. 372, apply for the interpretation and that as per provisions of S. 16 (15) of General Clauses Act, the power of ap-pointment includes the power of suspension or dismissal. According to the appellants, for the removal or dismissal of Ministers, the principles of natural justice will apply and since no reasonable opportunity of hearing was provided to Shri Devilal, his impugned dismissal from the post of Dy. Prime Minister was ex facie illegal. They have submitted that though under Art. 75 (2) of the Constitution of India, the Minister shall hold office during the pleasure of President, such "pleasure" can be exercised as "pleasure simpliciter" only and not with any extraneous considerations. According to them, as per next of the letter written by Shri V. P. Singh, the then Prime Minister to Shri Devilal (respondent No. 4) which was published in Rajasthan Patrika (Ex. 1/a), the latter was guilty of committing the alleged breach of the principle of col-lective responsibility, for sending the alleged forged letter to the President of India and for entering into a shallow conspirary. But for the said misconducts, no enquiry whatsoever was conducted. Thus, the dismissal of respondent No. 4, according to the appellants, was patently illegal, without jurisdiction and in violation of Arts. 14 and 75 (4) of the Con-stitution. The appellants therefore, prayed that the Presidents order dismissing/remov-ing Shri Devilal as Dy. Prime Minister of India be quashed and the statusquo ante be restored. ( 3 ) THE learned single Judge by his im-pugned order dated 22-1-91 dismissing the said writ petition held that the appointment of Shri Devilal as Dy. Prime Minister of India and his resignation against appointment as Dy. Prime Minister were ah political matters and that the Court was not inclined to go into those controversies. Hence this appeal. ( 4 ) WE have heard Mr. D. R. Bhandari, appellant, at length and perused the relevant record. ( 5 ) MR. Prime Minister of India and his resignation against appointment as Dy. Prime Minister were ah political matters and that the Court was not inclined to go into those controversies. Hence this appeal. ( 4 ) WE have heard Mr. D. R. Bhandari, appellant, at length and perused the relevant record. ( 5 ) MR. Bhandari has strenuously con-tended that the impugned order is against the record because the writ petition did not pertain either for the appointment or resignation of respondent No. 4. According to him, the learned single Judge did not apply his mind and probe into the matter and summari-ly dismissed the writ petition. He has further contended that the Court should not shirk from performing its duties under the Con-stitution. ( 6 ) WE have given our most earnest and anxious consideration to the submissions made by Shri Bhandari. ( 7 ) AT the very outset, we are of the considered opinion that this appeal is devoid of any force and substance. ( 8 ) FIRSTLY, the appellants have neither cared to file the impugned dismissal order of respondent No. 4 passed by the President of India nor submitted the original/certified or authentic copy of the letter alleged to have been written by Shri V. P. Singh, the then Prime Minister, to Shri Devilal. The news item Ext. 1 and Ex. 1/a published in Rajas-than Patrika cannot be treated as the impugn-ed dismissal order/letter. Therefore, for want of these basic documents, the writ petition was not maintainable. Secondly, the term of the then Lok Sabha has already come to an end and new Lok Sabha has been constituted and, therefore, the relief sought by the appellants in their writ petition has already become infructuous and this Court cannot invoke its extraordinary jurisdiction under Article 226 of the Constitution to decide academic questions/controversies. ( 9 ) THE appointment or dismissal of a Member of the Council or Ministers is entire-ly a political issue. Under Art. 75 of the Constitution, the Prime Minister as well as other Ministers are appointed by the Presi-dent on the advice of the Prime Minister and the Ministers hold office during the pleasure of the President. The appointment, removal or dismissal of a Minister is entirely a political decision and essentially has to be taken by the Prime Minister under his prerogative. The appointment, removal or dismissal of a Minister is entirely a political decision and essentially has to be taken by the Prime Minister under his prerogative. ( 10 ) MOREOVER, in absence of the impugn-ed dismissal order of Shri Devilal, it cannot be said that his dismissal was based on certain extraneous considerations or for the alleged breach of collective responsibility of the council of Ministers or for the alleged mis-conduct committed by him or his removal/dismissal was on account of the pleasure simpliciter of the President. ( 11 ) MR. Bhandari has cited U. N. R. Rao v. Smt. Indira Gandhi, AIR 1971 SC 1002 , wherein interpreting Arts. 74 (1) and 75 (2) and (3) of the Constitution of India, it was held that the Council of Ministers does not cease to hold office even after the dissolution of the House of the People. Apparently, the facts of U. N. R. Raos case (supra) are distinguishable with the case in hand. Therefore, this case does not render any assistance to the appel-lants. ( 12 ) MR. Bhandari has then relied on Minerva Mills Ltd. v. Union of India, AIR 1980 SC 1789 , wherein the scope of judicial review about the constitutionality of the pro-clamation of emergency issued under Art. 352 (1) of the Constitution was discussed and defined. It was held that merely because a question has a political complexion, that by itself is no ground why the Court should shirk from performing its duty under the Constitu-tion, if it raised an issue of constitutional determination. It was observed that it would not be right for the Court to decline to examine whether in a given case, there is any constitutional violation involved in the Pre-sident issuing a Proclamation of emergency. It was further observed that the constitutional jurisdiction of the Supreme Court does not extend further than saying whether the limits on the power conferred by the Constitution on the President have been observed or there is transgression of such limits and that the Court cannot go into the question of correct-ness or adequacy of the facts and circum-stances on which the satisfaction of the Pre-sident is based. We respectfully agree with this dictum. ( 13 ) MR. Bhandari has also cited the case of Indira Sawhney v. Union of India, 1992 (6) JT 273 , which is popularly known as mandal Commission Report case. We respectfully agree with this dictum. ( 13 ) MR. Bhandari has also cited the case of Indira Sawhney v. Union of India, 1992 (6) JT 273 , which is popularly known as mandal Commission Report case. The Apex Court vide para 558, has emphasized that under our Constitution, the yardstick is not if it is a legislative act or an executive decision on policy matter but whether it violates any constitutional guarantee or has potential of constitutional repercussions as enforcement of an assured right, under Chapter III of the Constitution, by approaching Courts is itself a fundamental right. It has been observed that the "constitutional fiction" of political ques-tion should not be permitted to stand in the way of the Court to deny the Nation the guidance on basic democratic problem and that avoidance of entering into a political question may be desirable and may not be resorted to, not because of doctrine of separa-tion of power or lack of rules but because of expediency in larger interest for public good but legislatures, too, have their authority measured by the Constitution, therefore, ab-sence of norms to examine political question has rarely any place in the Indian Constitu-tional jurisprudence. It was further held that the legislative or executive action reserving appointments or posts in services of the State is neither a political issue nor matter of policy. We respectfully agree with the above proposi-tion of law that if a legislative act or an executive decision on policy matter violates any constitutional guarantee or has potential of constitutional repercussions as enforce-ment of an assured right, which is under the ruse of political question, then the Court should not abdicate its duties for upholding the provisions of the Constitution. But in the case in hand, the removal or dismissal of respondent No. 4 by the President of India on the recommendation of the then Prime Minister of India did neither offend nor infringe any fundamental/constitutional right of the appellants or any constitutional mandate. Even the respondent No. 4 did not challenge his removal/dismissal. Undoubted-ly, the Prime Minister has the prerogative whether to keep or remove any of his col-leagues in the Cabinet/council of Ministers. As mentioned earlier in absence of the im-pugned removal/dismissal order passed by the President of India, it cannot be said whether such removal/dismissal was based on some extraneous considerations. Even the respondent No. 4 did not challenge his removal/dismissal. Undoubted-ly, the Prime Minister has the prerogative whether to keep or remove any of his col-leagues in the Cabinet/council of Ministers. As mentioned earlier in absence of the im-pugned removal/dismissal order passed by the President of India, it cannot be said whether such removal/dismissal was based on some extraneous considerations. There-fore, the judicial scrutiny/review is not at all warranted in this case. ( 14 ) IT is true that the learned single Judge has erroneously taken it to be a case of appointment or resignation of respondent No. 4 as Dy. Prime Minister whereas sub-stantially, it was a case of challenging the impugned removal/dismissal order passed by the President of India. But only for this apparent error, it is not at all a fit case for remanding the matter to the S. B. , because in our considered opinion even on merits, the writ petition filed by the appellants was devoid of any force and substance and mani-festly meritless. ( 15 ) THE resultant of the above discussion is that this Civil Special Appeal is hereby dismissed summarily. Appeal dismissed.