Notice to impeach CJI unwarranted: BAI

The notice for impeachment of the Chief Justice of India Dipak Misra was "unwarranted" and an assault on the judiciary, the Bar Association of India (BAI) said today.

Stressing on the need to bring transparency in the judiciary, the laywers' body passed a resolution to improve judicial governance in the backdrop of the public scrutiny faced by Supreme Court judges.

We (BAI executive committee) believe that the motion for impeachment of the Chief Justice of India, considering the facts and circumstances, was unwarranted, and was an assault on the institution of Indian judiciary," BAI President Lalit Bhasin said in a press release today.

The resolution said apex court judges should collectively establish an institutional structure for the internal governance of judiciary.

The impeachment notice submitted by seven opposition parties led by the Congress last month was rejected by Rajya Sabha Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu.

Bhasin said, "There is a dire need to bring transparency in the Indian judiciary to improve judicial governance. The association recommends that the equal participation of the Supreme Court and its judges will be essential to create an institutional mechanism that streamlines the judiciary's governance."