Opposition submits notice for Chief Justice's impeachment to Vice President

The move comes in the wake of the Supreme Court (SC) judgment on Thursday, which dismissed the demand for an investigation into the death of CBI judge BH Loya.

As many as 64 members of the Rajya Sabha, belonging to seven political parties signed the notice for impeachment proceedings against the CJI. The MPs ae from  the Cong, the NCP, CPM, the CPI, the SP, the BSP and the Muslim League.

Senior Congress leader Kapil Sibal said the notice mentions five grounds of misbehaviour for the CJI's impeachment.

"Since CJI Dipak Mishra come, questions have been raised about his conduct. It showed in the January 12 press conference of four judges of Supreme Court. One concern of the four judges was memorandum of procedure was being unsettled," said Sibal after the parties submitted the impeachment notice to Naidu.

There was no other way to protect the institution except the impeachment motion. We are doing so with a very heavy heart," Sibal said.

" We wish this day had never come in the fabric of our constitutional framework. Since the day he (Dipak Misra) was appointed as CJI there have been questions raised in the manner in which he has dealt with certain cases," he said.

"We were hoping that the anguish of the judges would be addressed by the CJI. More than three months have passed, nothing has changed."

" Didn't want this day to come, hope the Vice President will accept the impeachment motion," Sibal said.

Meanwhile, the Supreme Court on Friday termed as very unfortunate the public statements, including those made by lawmakers, on impeachment of judges.

"We are all very disturbed about it," a bench comprising Justices AK Sikri and Ashok Bhushan said after the counsel appearing for the petitioner raised the issue of politicians making public statements on impeachment of judges.

The impeachment move has its genesis in the public complaint made by four  senior judges of the top court- Justices Jasti Chelameswar, Ranjan Gogoi, Madan B Lokur and Kurian Joseph-  that cases with far reaching consequences were assigned to selective judges.

Justice Chelameswar, who represented the four judges in an unprecedented press conference, said they had approached the CJI with a letter but failed to convince him.