The process to initiate impeachment proceedings against Justice C.V. Nagarjuna Reddy of the Andhra Pradesh/Telangana High Court for alleged interference in the course of the judicial process, including physical assault and use of caste slurs against a Dalit junior civil judge, is sought to be revived.
ON DECEMBER 5, 2016, JUSTICE C.V. NAGARJUNA Reddy of the High Court for Andhra Pradesh and Telangana became the fifth judge in independent India against whom Members of Parliament resolved to begin impeachment proceedings; but he was the first against whom the process ended within 10 days of its commencement after one-third of the Rajya Sabha members withdrew their signatures, aborting the motion for want of the requisite numbers in the Upper House.
In India’s constitutional scheme of things, judges of the High Court and the Supreme Court enjoy complete independence to adjudicate “without fear or favour”. As per Article 124 (4) of the Constitution, the only way to remove a judge for “proven misbehaviour” is through an elaborate process of impeachment initiated by not less than 50 MPs of the Upper House or double that number in the Lok Sabha.
The process was first attempted in 1993 against Justice V. Ramaswami of the Supreme Court after an inquiry and adverse findings. The motion failed as Congress MPs present in the Lok Sabha abstained from voting, leading to a lack of a two-thirds majority favouring impeachment, which is another requirement under Article 124 (4) of the Constitution.
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How Not To Handle An Epidemic
The lockdowns were meant to buy time to put in place appropriate health measures and contain the coronavirus’ spread, but they have failed to achieve the objective and heaped immense misery on the marginalised sections of society. India is still in the exponential phase of the COVID-19 infection and community transmission is a reality that the government refuses to accept.
Tragedy on foot
As the COVID-19-induced lockdown cuts the ground beneath their feet in Tamil Nadu, thousands of migrant workers are trudging along the highway to the relative safety of their upcountry homes.
Sarpanchs as game changers
Odisha manages to keep COVID-19 well under control because of the strong participation of panchayati raj institutions and the community at the grass-roots level under the leadership of Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik.
Scapegoating China
As the COVID-19 death rate spikes and the economy tanks in the United States, Donald Trump and his advisers target China and the World Health Organisation with an eye to winning the forthcoming presidential election.
New worries
Kerala’s measured approach to the pandemic and lockdown has yielded results. But it still has to grapple with their huge economic impact on its economy, which it feels the Centre’s special financial relief package does little to alleviate.
No love lost for labour
Taking advantage of the lockdown and the inability of workers to organise protests, many State governments introduce sweeping changes to labour laws to the detriment of workers on the pretext of reviving production and boosting the economy.
Capital's Malthusian moment
In a world that needs substantial reorienting of production and distribution, Indian capital is resorting to a militant form of moribund neoliberalism to overcome its current crisis. In this pursuit of profit, it is ready and willing to throw into mortal peril millions whom it adjudicates as not worth their means—an admixture of social Darwinism born of capital’s avarice and brutalism spawned by Hindutva. .
Understanding migration
When governments and their plans are found to be blatantly wanting in addressing reverse migration, exercises such as the Ekta Parishad’s survey of migrant workers throughout India can be useful to work out creative long-lasting solutions.
Waiting for Jabalpur moment
The Supreme Court’s role in ensuring executive accountability during the ongoing lockdown leaves much to be desired. Standing in shining contrast is the record of some High Courts.
An empty package
The Modi regime, which has been unable to control the COVID-19 infection, restore economic activity and provide relief to millions exposed to starvation, trains its sights on Indian democracy, making use of the panic generated by fear and a lockdown that forecloses paths of resistance.
