RS Deputy Chairman junks impeachment notice against V-P Dhankhar

New Delhi: Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairman Harivansh on Thursday dismissed an impeachment notice filed by opposition parties seeking the removal of Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar, terming it “severely flawed,” “drawn in haste,” and “an act of impropriety.” The notice, he ruled, aimed to tarnish Dhankhar’s reputation and undermine the dignity of India’s constitutional institutions.

In a three-page ruling tabled in the House by Rajya Sabha Secretary General P C Mody, Harivansh called the notice a “misadventure” that trivialised and demeaned the office of the Vice President, the second-highest constitutional position in the country. “The notice is bereft of facts, aimed at securing publicity, and reveals a calculated attempt to malign the Vice President,” he stated.

The impeachment notice, signed by at least 60 opposition members, was submitted on December 10, 2024, under Article 67(b) of the Constitution. The opposition alleged that they lacked trust in Dhankhar and accused him of being “biased.” However, Harivansh noted that the notice failed to meet constitutional requirements, including the mandatory 14-day notice period before moving such a resolution. Harivansh pointed out multiple procedural and substantive flaws in the impeachment notice. “The notice lacked an addressee, failed to include the resolution’s text, and even misspelt the Vice President’s name throughout the petition,” he said. It also relied on unauthenticated media reports and omitted crucial supporting documents and videos.

The deputy chairman criticised the opposition for initiating the notice during a session of Parliament that was already scheduled to conclude on December 20, rendering the resolution temporally impossible. “The notice was initiated with full knowledge that it could not be moved during this session, revealing a deliberate attempt to set a narrative against the Vice President and his office,” Harivansh observed.

The impeachment notice, Harivansh argued, was part of a larger campaign to undermine constitutional institutions. He highlighted how opposition leaders, including the Leader of the Opposition (LoP) and the Chief Whip of the Indian National Congress, conducted a televised press conference on December 12 to amplify the allegations. “This orchestrated media campaign, coupled with misleading public statements, sought to project inaction by the authorities, which was both baseless and prejudicial,” he said.

Harivansh also cited a precedent from September 2020, when then-Chairman Venkaiah Naidu rejected a similar removal notice against the Deputy Chairman for failing to adhere to procedural requirements under Article 67(b).

Dismissing the notice, Harivansh added that the impeachment notice, rather than following constitutional procedures, sought to “garnish publicity” and “denigrate the nation’s constitutional institutions.” Harivansh concluded that the notice deserved outright dismissal, with no further action required.