Ouster in the offing for High Court judge Justice Nagarjuna Reddy? [Read Motion for Removal]

Amid allegations of dalit victimisation, nepotism and misuse of office, Justice CV Nagarjuna Reddy of the High Court of Judicature at Hyderabad might have some difficult times in store for him..Fifty-four parliamentarians have moved a petition to oust Justice Reddy from the High Court. The petition has been submitted to Rajya Sabha Chairperson, Hamid Ansari..The petition makes scathing allegations of atrocities against Dalits by Justice Reddy and his kith and kin including threatening, abusing and assaulting a Magistrate, Ramakrishna..The petition also alleges that Justice Reddy has abused his position to amass wealth disproportionate to his income..We had previously reported that the Campaign for Judicial Accountability and Reforms (CJAR) had written to CJI TS Thakur seeking initiation of in-house proceedings against the judge for alleged atrocities against members of Dalit community..While the fate of that letter is unclear, the country’s political body has now taken up the cause. Vice President Hamid Ansari’s decision on the petition remains to be seen..It is not the first time that the Legislature has followed such a course of action..Similar motions have been brought against Madhya Pradesh High Court judge SK Gangele and Karnataka High Court judge KL Manjunath. The proceedings in the former are pending while the latter did not result in the initiation of impeachment proceedings..Of course, the mere signing of a petition is not enough for an impeachment. Article 124(4) of the Indian Constitution provides for the manner in which a member of the higher judiciary can be removed..It mentions that the judge cannot be removed,.“except by an order of the President passed after an address by each House of Parliament supported by the majority of the total members of the House and by the majority of not less than two-thirds of the members of the House present and voting has been presented to the president in the same session for such removal”..If impeached, Justice Nagarjuna Reddy will join a short and controversial list. Justice V Ramaswami was the first judge of Independent India to ever face impeachment proceedings. Justice Soumitra Sen of the Calcutta High Court, resigned five days before the Lower House was to hear the impeachment motion, while Justice Dinakaran of the Karnataka High Court resigned before the completion of the removal process..Image taken from here..Read the notice for motion made by the MPs below.