Opposition's move to impeach CJI Dipak Misra has unfortunate after-effects

Politicians should not play games with the reputation of the judiciary as a whole or that of individual judges

Leaders of seven Opposition parties in the Rajya Sabha have moved to begin the process of impeaching Chief Justice of India Dipak Misra. The importance of this development in constitutional terms cannot be overstated. It threatens to disturb the delicate relationship between the legislature and the judiciary, as well as to complicate questions of judicial independence and the public estimation of judicial probity. For this reason, the step should have been taken only as a last resort, and with no political payoff. But it is far from clear that this is in fact the case. From the statements made by