2 Congress MPs move SC against Naidu's dismissal of impeachment motion against CJI Dipak Misra

Naidu had declined the impeachment on technical grounds, saying it lacked substantial merit and that the allegations were neither "tenable nor admissible".

Justice Dipak Misra

New Delhi: Days after Vice President Venkaiah Naidu dismissed Opposition’s plea for impeachment of Chief Justice Dipak Misra, two Congress Parliamentarians from Rajya Sabha, approached the apex court challenging VP’s dismissal of impeachment motion on Monday. Congress MPs Pratap Singh Bajwa and Amee Harshadray Yajnik claimed in their petition that once the initiation of removal motion is signed by the requisite number of MPs, the Vice-President has no option but shall constitute an Inquiry Committee to investigate the allegations against the CJI Dipak Misra. Naidu had declined the impeachment on technical grounds, saying it lacked substantial merit and that the allegations were neither "tenable nor admissible". After Naidu’s decision, Senior Congress leader Kapil Sibal told reporters that Naidu's order jeopardised the country's legal system and said the government was not keen to see a probe into the case. "To say the least, the order is unprecedented, illegal, ill-advised and hasty," Sibal said, adding that it had been passed without a full-fledged enquiry. "We will certainly move a petition in the Supreme Court to challenge this order", Sibal had asserted. Describing Naidu's move as "unprecedented", the Congress leader stressed that never before in India's history had a motion moved by MPs been dismissed at the preliminary stage.