NEW DELHI: Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar remarked that only the Parliament has the jurisdiction to address the issue of removing Justice Shekhar Kumar Yadav from the Allahabad High Court.
It comes against the backdrop of a motion submitted by 55 Opposition MPs citing his alleged misconduct.
In a suo motu statement in the Upper House of the parliament, Dhankhar announced that the Rajya Sabha Secretary-General has been directed to share the information with the Secretary General of the Supreme Court.
“Honourable members, I am seized of an undated notice for motion received on 13 December 2024, bearing 55 purported signatures of the members of the Rajya Sabha seeking removal from office of Justice Shekhar Yadav of Allahabad High Court under Article 124(4) of the Constitution,” he said.
“The jurisdiction for the stated subject matter constitutionally lies in exclusivity with the Chairman Rajya Sabha and in an eventuality with the Parliament and Honourable President,” he also said.
Justice Yadav was accused of making communal remarks at a Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) event in December last year.
The Supreme Court took note of his controversial speech at the VHP Legal Cell event in Allahabad, where he allegedly supported the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) and made remarks allegedly targetting minorities.
Justice Yadav later appeared before the Supreme Court Collegium, led by Chief Justice of India Sanjiv Khanna.
As the Chairman of the Rajya Sabha, Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar has the authority to either admit or reject the motion.
When admitted, a three-member committee will be formed, consisting of a Supreme Court judge, a high court chief justice, and a distinguished jurist.
The committee shall investigate the complaint and determine whether there is sufficient grounds to initiate the removal process.