Rajya Sabha chairman Hamid Ansari has admitted the motion of impeachment moved by 58 members of the House against Madhya Pradesh High Court judge Justice SK Gangele accused of sexual harassment of a woman judge in Gwalior. Earlier this month, the MPs had submitted the motion to Ansari for initiating the impeachment process of Justice Gangele, who is now serving in the principal bench in Jabalpur.
“The chairman has, under Section 3 of the Judges (Inquiry) Act, 1968, admitted the following Motion received from Shrimati Wansuk Syiem and other members (total 58) the notice of which was given under Article 217 read with Article 124 (4) of the Constitution of India,” a Rajya Sabha bulletin said.
The motion lists three “grounds of misconduct” for impeachment: “sexual harassment” of the woman judge; “victimisation” of the judge “for not submitting to his illegal and immoral demands”, including, but not limited to, transferring her from Gwalior to Sidhi; and “misusing” his position as the administrative judge of the MP High Court to use the subordinate judiciary to victimise the judge. The signatories include Digvijaya Singh (Congress), Sitaram Yechury (CPI-M), Derek O’ Brien (TMC), Ram Gopal Yadav and Jaya Bachchan (SP), Satish Mishra (BSP), Anu Aga and HK Dua.
“The chairman has, under Section 3 of the Judges (Inquiry) Act, 1968, admitted the following Motion received from Shrimati Wansuk Syiem and other members (total 58) the notice of which was given under Article 217 read with Article 124 (4) of the Constitution of India,” a Rajya Sabha bulletin said.
The motion lists three “grounds of misconduct” for impeachment: “sexual harassment” of the woman judge; “victimisation” of the judge “for not submitting to his illegal and immoral demands”, including, but not limited to, transferring her from Gwalior to Sidhi; and “misusing” his position as the administrative judge of the MP High Court to use the subordinate judiciary to victimise the judge. The signatories include Digvijaya Singh (Congress), Sitaram Yechury (CPI-M), Derek O’ Brien (TMC), Ram Gopal Yadav and Jaya Bachchan (SP), Satish Mishra (BSP), Anu Aga and HK Dua.