Asserting that the “judiciary has reached its nadir today”, former Law Minister Kapil Sibal said the option of moving an impeachment motion against the Chief Justice of India (CJI) Dipak Misra is open.
“We are very, very concerned about what is happening in Court and we believe that the option that is available to us is still open,” said Mr. Sibal, when asked if the Opposition was still considering an impeachment motion against the CJI.
Asked if the Congress was dithering on the move because of the divisions within the Opposition — parties like the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam and Trinamool Congress have expressed their reservation over it — the Congress leader said the issue was not about numbers but that of the dignity of the institutions involved. The Congress itself has more than the 50 MPs that are required to sign a petition.
“This is not some instant coffee. We are dealing with an institution and I want to make it very clear that it will be a very sad day if the Opposition has to take that step [of impeachment]. If the Opposition does do it, it will be with a very heavy heart, but that does not mean the Opposition has foreclosed the option,” he said.
Expressing concern over judicial independence, the Congress said issues raised by the four senior-most Supreme Court judges in their unprecedented January press conference had not been addressed.
