New Delhi: The Congress has begun the process of initiating impeachment proceedings against Chief Justice of India (CJI) Dipak Misra and was collecting signatures of MPs of various opposition parties, leaders of the NCP said.
However, there was no confirmation about the move from the Congress and its senior leaders avoided questions on the matter.
Confirming the development, NCP leader Majeed Memon said, "The Congress as the largest opposition party has belatedly initiated the proceedings for impeachment of the Chief Justice of India."
Asked how many MPs have signed the notice so far, he said he was just a signatory to it and the question be posed to the Congress.
Another NCP parliamentarian D P Tripathi said, "I have signed it and others are also signing it and the process is going on."
He said it is not just corruption, but "the charges are far more serious" and it emanates from the letter that four senior-most judges of the Supreme Court had earlier written stating that there was danger to the independence of judiciary.
Tripathi confirmed that among the signatories to the notice were members of NCP, CPI-M, CPI and others, and indicated that some Congress leaders too signed it.
The Samajwadi Party also said that it supports the petition. "The Samajwadi Party stands with the impeachment motion, which is about bringing independence and unquestionable integrity to the judiciary," SP leader Ghanshyam Tiwari told the media.
To move an impeachment motion against the CJI, signatures of 100 MPs are needed in Lok Sabha and in Rajya Sabha, signatures of 50 members are required.
Sources said leaders of several opposition parties today met and discussed the issue with the Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Ghulam Nabi Azad. Azad's office, however, did not confirm whether any such meeting took place.
The sources added that opposition leaders including those from Trinamool Congress, NCP and the CPI(M) held discussions on the matter over the past few days.