CJI Impeachment Row: 5-Judge Supreme Court Bench to Hear Congress' Plea Tomorrow, Dissenting Judges Not on List
Notably, none among the four dissenting judges - Justices Jasti Chelameswar, Ranjan Gogoi, Madan B. Lokur and Kurian Joseph - are part of the bench. The four judges had went public in January airing their grievances against the CJI.
New Delhi, May 7: The Supreme Court's Constitution bench, comprising five judges, will hear the petition moved by the Congress challenging the rejection of their impeachment motion against the Chief Justice of India by Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu.
The party had moved the apex court on Tuesday, days after Naidu dismissed their motion seeking the removal of CJI Dipak Misra. The petitioners, two Congress MPs - Partap Singh Bajwa and Dr. Amee Harshadray Yajnik - told the court that Naidu did not adhere to the rules while deciding on their motion.
Who are the five judges part of the Constitution bench which will hear Congress' plea?
The Constitution bench will be headed by Justice AK Sikri, who is the sixth most senior judge in the Supreme Court. The other four members on the bench are Justices S.A. Bobde, N.V. Ramana, Arun Mishra and Adarsh Kumar Goel.
The composition of the bench was decided by CJI Dipak Misra, under his capacity as the master of the roster.
Notably, none among the four dissenting judges - Justices Jasti Chelameswar, Ranjan Gogoi, Madan B. Lokur and Kurian Joseph - are part of the bench. The four judges, who are also part of the Collegium, had went public in January airing their grievances against the CJI.
Naidu's decision reflected "serious infirmity"
The Congress in its petition said the decision to reject their impeachment motion by the Vice President reflected "serious infirmity". To validate their charge, the MPs who appeared before the apex court today said none among the incumbent top court judges were consulted by Naidu while arriving at his decision.
The lawmakers - Singh and Yajnik - said it is "strange" that the V-P took opinion from retired judges, legal luminaries and constitutional experts but did not find it “appropriate to consult the judges of the Supreme Court of India”.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on May 07, 2018 09:15 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).