LS to take up Justice Sen impeachment in Sept

After its passage by an overwhelming majority in Rajya Sabha, the impeachment proceedings against Justice Soumitra Sen will be taken up in Lok Sabha on September 5 and 6, government announced on Tuesday.

Parliamentary Affairs Minister P K Bansal had earlier said that the issue would be taken up on September 4 and 5 but later clarified that it was a slip of tongue and the issue would come up before the Lower House on September 5 and 6.

The impeachment motion was supposed to have been taken up on Wednesday, but was postponed apparently due to the developments on the Anna Hazare front.

This is the second time that an impeachment motion would be taken up in the Lok Sabha, the earlier one being against Justice V Ramaswami of the Supreme Court in May 1993, which fell due to lack of numbers after Congress members' abstained.

If Lok Sabha also gives its approval to the impeachment motion, Justice Sen of Calcutta High Court would be the first judge in independent India to be removed from office.

In Rajya Sabha, most of the parties in the government as well as those in the opposition had supported the motion, which was voted through by well over two-third majority required for it to be carried.

The only parties which opposed the move were the Bahujan Samaj Party and Trinamool Congress. In the Lok Sabha, BSP has 21 members and Trinamool 19.

The impeachment saw majority of members holding Sen guilty of misappropriating Rs 33.23 lakh in a 1983 case.