Many opposition parties have signed draft proposal for moving impeachment motion against CJI Dipak Misra, says NCP leader

File photo of CJI Dipak Misra

New Delhi: NCP leader DP Tripathi on Tuesday said that opposition parties, including the Congress, have initiated the process to impeach Chief Justice of India Dipak Misra.

"A lot of opposition parties have signed the draft proposal for moving an impeachment motion against CJI Dipak Misra. Many parties like the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), Left parties and I think TMC and Congress have also signed it," NCP general secretary said.

A lot of opposition parties have signed a draft proposal for moving an impeachment motion against CJI Dipak Misra. Many parties like NCP,Left parties and I think TMC and Congress also have signed it: DP Tripathi,NCP pic.twitter.com/04O8iKwibl

— ANI (@ANI) March 27, 2018

The impeachment motion is in relation to the CJI's handling of the matters raised by four Supreme Court judges at a press conference on January 11, 2018, as per ANI.

Earlier also, in January 2018, it was reported that the opposition, led by CPI(M), was likely to take steps to bring forward an impeachment motion against the CJI in Parliament. 

Party general secretary Sitaram Yechury is said to have met NCP leader Tariq Anwar and former Janata Dal (United) leader Sharad Yadav over the matter at that time. 

In an unprecedented move, four senior-most judges of the Supreme Court had accused the CJI in January 2018 of not adhering to the rules in assigning cases to appropriate benches, which they said could create "doubts" about the integrity of the top court.

Speaking to the media at the residence of Justice Chelameswar, the judges had said the SC administration was "not in order" and had released an undated letter they had written to Justice Misra in which they conceded that the CJI was the "master of the roster" but this was "not a recognition of any superior authority, legal or factual, of the Chief Justice over his colleagues".

Besides Justice Chelameswar, the other judges were justices Ranjan Gogoi, Kurian Joseph and Madan B Lokur.

(With Agency inputs)