Opposition may move impeachment motion against Chief Justice on Friday

Leaders of opposition parties were in active discussion today over moving an impeachment motion against Chief Justice of India Dipak Misra and might move a notice for the same before the Rajya Sabha chairman tomorrow, the last day of the budget session.

Leaders of various parties today held hectic parleys over moving the motion, the first one to be ever moved against a sitting chief justice.

Top legal hands and MPs of the Congress including some former ministers held a meeting in the office of the Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha on the issue.

In another meeting, top Congress leaders are learnt to have discussed the issue with TMC leaders, though leaders of both the parties avoided saying anything.

With only one day left for the budget session of Parliament to end, hectic parleys were also held with leaders of other opposition parties and signatures of some more MPs are being taken.

It is learnt that the numbers were being reworked, as some MPs who signed earlier, their tenure ended on April 2. These include some MPs from the SP, BSP and the Congress, it is learnt.

The opposition is giving final touches to the motion and it may be moved as early as tomorrow, a senior opposition leader said.

Another opposition leader, who has signed for the motion, said there was no confusion on the impeachment motion as there are enough number of MPs who have signed.

Asked about the delay, he said, "You should ask the Congress party."

The sources said there was some ambiguity on the issue as some top leaders within the Congress were not comfortable moving the motion against the CJI.

"The entire opposition is in discussion on the issue," said Congress spokesperson Raj Babbar, when asked at the AICC briefing in Parliament on whether an impeachment motion is being moved against the CJI.

"I cannot give a reply and the way forward on the issue today as it can only be given by the leaders of various parties including the Congress," he told reporters.

Asked if the motion would be moved tomorrow as only one more day is left for the session, Babbar said, "Don't treat this as one day. The government is already rattled with only one day left. There are still 38 hours left for this session."

The sources add that once the impeachment motion is forwarded to the Rajya Sabha chairman, carrying signatures of at least 50 MPs of the Upper House, the chairman will examine its merits.

If the chairman does not find prima facie merit in the motion, he can outright reject the same. However, if he finds merit in it, he can refer the same to a three-member committee to further examine the same, an expert handling the issue said.

This will be the first time an impeachment motion against the sitting Chief Justice of India will be moved in the country's history.