The Congress-led Opposition has reportedly begun the process of bringing an impeachment motion against Chief Justice of India (CJI) Dipak Misra.
According to the media reports, the Congress leaders are collecting the signatures Rajya Sabha MPs of various Opposition parties including NCP, DMK and also Samajwadi Party in the draft petition, which reportedly states that the CJI did not address the issues raised by the four senior-most judges of the Supreme Court properly.
NCP leaders said on Tuesday the Congress had begun the process of initiating impeachment proceedings. However, there was no confirmation about the move from the Congress and its senior leaders avoided questions on the matter.
Confirming the development, NCP leader Majeed Memon said, “The Congress as the largest opposition party has belatedly initiated the proceedings for impeachment of the Chief Justice of India.”
Asked how many MPs have signed the notice so far, he said he was just a signatory to it and the question be posed to the Congress.
According to PTI, another NCP parliamentarian D P Tripathi said, “I have signed it and others are also signing it and the process is going on.”
He said it is not just corruption, but “the charges are far more serious” and it emanates from the letter that four senior-most judges of the Supreme Court had earlier written stating that there was danger to the independence of judiciary.
Tripathi confirmed that among the signatories to the notice were members of NCP, CPI-M, CPI and others, and indicated that some Congress leaders too signed it.
To move an impeachment motion against the CJI, signatures of 100 MPs are needed in Lok Sabha and in Rajya Sabha, signatures of 50 members are required.
(With agency inputs)