New Delhi, April 23: Rajya Sabha Chairman M. Venkaiah Naidu today rejected the impeachment motion moved by opposition parties on Friday. According to reports, after consulting legal experts, Vice-President Venkaiah Naidu has rejected the impeachment motion against Chief Justice of India (CJI) Dipak Misra because it lacked 'substantial merit'. Naidu, who was in Hyderabad, cut short his visit and returned to Delhi on Sunday afternoon.

The opposition notice -- carrying signatures of 71 lawmakers from seven parties -- was submitted to  Naidu on Friday. Seven of the lawmakers have stepped down since, but the number of signatures is still well above the mandatory 50, the party has said. According to the rules, Naidu had to decide whether the motion will be accepted or not. Reportedly, the Constitution says the CJI can be impeached only on grounds of proven misbehaviour or incapacity.

The impeachment notice came a day after the Supreme Court rejected a bunch of petitions seeking an independent probe into the death of Judge B H Loya, who was hearing the Sohrabuddin Sheikh encounter case.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Apr 23, 2018 10:09 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).