I.N.D.I.A. bloc set to submit impeachment notices against CEC Gyanesh Kumar 'anytime soon' in Parliament

I.N.D.I.A. bloc is all set to submit notices to impeach Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar in both Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha "anytime soon", sources said.

Around 120 MPs of Lok Sabha and nearly 60 lawmakers of Rajya Sabha have signed separate notices to be submitted to the Speaker and Upper House Chairman CP Radhakrishnan. As per law, a notice seeking to impeach a CEC, which follows the procedure for removal of a Supreme Court judge, should have the support of 100 MPs in Lok Sabha and 50 in Rajya Sabha depending on where it is submitted.

A senior Opposition leader reasoned that they were submitting in both Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha to avoid allegations that they were skipping a House because they do not have numbers. The initial plan was to submit the notice only in Lok Sabha but during discussions with leaders, it was decided to submit it in both Houses.

If the notice is accepted, the Speaker or the Chairman constitute a committee consisting of a Supreme Court judge, a High Court Chief Justice and an eminent jurist is formed to probe the charges against the CEC depending on which House the notice is submitted

In case the notices of motion are submitted on the same day in both the Houses, according to Practice and Procedure of Parliament by MN Kaul and SL Shakdher, the committee will be constituted only if the motion has been admitted in both Houses and thereupon jointly by the Speaker and the Chairman.

If the notices of motion are submitted in both the Houses on different dates, the notice which is given later shall stand rejected.

Asked about the impeachment move, Samajwadi Party MP Rajiv Rai said his party stands with the Trinamool, which is the prime mover of the notice, and other Opposition parties. Congress MP Mallu Ravi said the fight is against the Election Commission and about the Special Intensive Revision.

Even if the notice is accepted, the impeachment motion will not be discussed during the ongoing Budget Session, as a three-member high-level committee has to probe the charges.

Once the committee submits its report and indicts the accused, only then it comes to the House for discussion. After the House where the motion was first discussed, pass it, the notice is then brought to the other House. After both Houses passes it, the President then clears the removal of the CEC.