Former Lok Sabha Speaker, Somnath Chatterjee has said, “Justice Soumitra Sen is not a fit case for impeachment”. The Rajya Sabha Committee headed by the Vice President of India Hamid Ansari had recommended Justice Sen’s impeachment for the misappropriation of large sums of funds and making false statements regarding it.

The former Speaker argued that there was a judgement in favour of Justice Sen passed by the Division Bench of the Calcutta High Court. Somnath told the Indian Express that he had written a letter to the Vice President on this issue and had pointed out various things in that letter. As it was a personal letter to the Chairman of the Rajya Sabha, he chose not to reveal its contents

Somnath further said, “The former Chief Justice of India cannot write such a letter to the Prime Minister for removal of a sitting judge of a High Court.” Impeachment proceedings against Justice Sen were initiated after the former Chief Justice of India K.G.Balakrishnan wrote a letter, advising that Justice Sen be impeached.Justice Sen had filed his reply to the Rajya Sabha enquiry committee in May 2010. 

It will be interesting to watch how the legislature reacts to the statements from the former Speaker. The impeachment motion has not yet been moved in the lower house.

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