Ram Jethmalani targets Jaitley over 'tyranny of unelected' remark

NEW DELHI: Expelled BJP MP and noted jurist Ram Jethmalani today targeted Union Minister Arun Jaitley over his 'tyranny of unelected' remark in the Supreme Court, which promptly dissociated itself from taking the matter any further.

"There is an attack on the dignity of this court when comments like 'tyranny of unelected' were made upon the judgement of the apex court," Jethmalani said before a five- judge Constitution bench headed by Justice J S Khehar dealing with the collegium issue.

However, the bench interrupted him and asked him not to make statements of political nature.

"Don't go into all these things. Oh please, we don't want to get into this. Don't make personal remarks. A good debate must go on, but not here," the bench also comprising Justices J Chelameswar, M B Lokur, Kurian Joseph and A K Goel, said.

Last month, Jaitley had termed "erroneous" the Supreme Court's reason for striking down the National Judicial Appointments Commission ( NJAC) and said "Indian democracy cannot be a tyranny of the unelected".

Jethmalani also submitted that Parliament was a non- sovereign body, which has to be made clear.

He had earlier opposed the NJAC Act in the apex court, saying MPs grasped very little about the implications of NJAC before voting unanimously for it.

"Does any MP understand what this NJAC is all about," he had said.