Amit Shah Slams INDIA Bloc’s Move to Impeach Madras HC Judge
Calls it “appeasement politics”, says no judge has ever faced impeachment for delivering a judgment
- Amit Shah criticises INDIA bloc’s impeachment move against Justice GR Swaminathan
- Says impeachment for a judicial ruling is unprecedented since independence
- Opposition accuses judge of “religious bias” in temple lamp-lighting order
- Tensions rise after Karthigai Deepam clashes and ongoing legal-political row
GG News Bureau
New Delhi, 11th Dec: Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Wednesday launched a fierce attack on the INDIA bloc over its move to initiate impeachment proceedings against Justice GR Swaminathan of the Madras High Court’s Madurai Bench. Speaking during the Lok Sabha debate on electoral reforms, Shah accused the Opposition of resorting to “appeasement politics” and breaking new ground by targeting a judge for delivering a judicial order.
“This has never happened in all the years after independence that a judge is facing impeachment for delivering a judgment. They brought the impeachment to appease their vote bank,” Shah said. Expressing surprise over Shiv Sena (UBT) signing the motion, he stressed that the judge’s ruling merely recognised a custom of lighting a lamp at a hilltop shrine.
More than 100 MPs from the INDIA bloc submitted a letter to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla seeking Justice Swaminathan’s impeachment. The judge recently directed the Subramaniya Swamy temple authorities to light a traditional lamp at a stone pillar near a dargah atop a hillock in Tamil Nadu—an order that triggered backlash from the DMK-led state government.
The Tamil Nadu administration accused the judge of acting with “religious bias,” a charge reiterated by DMK MP Kanimozhi, who defended the INDIA bloc’s decision to pursue impeachment. “We’ve seen that his judgments have been biased on the lines of religion… It’s a secular country and everybody is equal before the law. The judiciary too has to ensure justice without differences,” she told ANI.
The controversy escalated after clashes broke out during the Karthigai Deepam festival last week, when right-wing groups confronted police over access to the hilltop. Justice Swaminathan had acted on a petition by a right-wing activist, directing authorities to ensure the sacred lamp was lit at the hill’s summit. State officials, however, argued that the long-standing tradition involved lighting the lamp only at the Deepa Mandapam located nearby, not at the hilltop.
With political tempers rising, the impeachment motion has triggered a deeper debate on judicial independence, religious customs and the boundaries of legislative oversight. The Centre has made clear that it views the Opposition’s move as unprecedented and politically motivated, even as Opposition parties insist the judge must be held accountable for what they allege are “biased” decisions.
