LS Speaker to reject Opposition move to impeach Madras HC judge GR Swaminathan

According to highly placed sources, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla is expected to reject the Impeachment notice against Madras High Court Justice GR Swaminathan. “A judge cannot be removed by Parliament for a judicial pronouncement, parliamentary sources said on Wednesday, questioning the opposition’s move to impeach a Madras High Court judge over his lamp-lighting ruling,” sources said.

They said that corruption, misconduct and misdemeanour can be criteria to remove a Supreme Court or a High Court judge. In December last year, more than 100 opposition MPs, led by the DMK and Congress, had given a notice to remove Madras High Court judge GR Swaminathan following his ruling that allowed Hindu devotees to light a lamp at the ‘Deepathoon’ pillar atop Thirupparankundram hill. The site, which is located near a dargah, was deemed to be a temple land by the judgment. The DMK Government in Tamil Nadu had argued that the verdict caused communal tension.

A two-judge bench had later upheld the verdict. While giving notice for removal, the opposition had claimed that the order violated long-standing practices and threatened public peace. Recently, the Supreme Court upheld the decision of Justice GR Swaminathan.