Around 60 Rajya Sabha MPs gave an impeachment notice to the Rajya Sabha Chairman on Monday. In the notice, they alleged how Hyderabad High Court judge C.V. Nagarjuna Reddy used derogatory language against one of his Dalit colleague.

“Over 60 MPs have signed the notice, which has been given to the Rajya Sabha Chairman. The matter could be taken up in the next few days,” informed sources told IANS.

“The judge used derogatory language against his colleague, who belongs to the Dalit community,” he added.

All the MPs signed the petition for the removal of Justice Reddy under Article 217 read with Article 124 of the Constitution. The MPs included Sitaram Yechury (CPI-M), D Raja (CPI), Digvijaya Singh, Oscar Fernandes, Kumari Selja, P L Punia, Shantaram Naik (Congress), Sharad Yadav (JD-U), Naresh Agarwal and Neeraj Shekhar (Samajwadi Party). But neither the BJP nor the ruling alliance members signed the petition.

The motion lists the following grounds for impeachment:

# “That he interfere(d) in judicial process including physical assault and abusing on caste lines of a Dalit junior civil judge S Rama Krishna of Rayachoty… victimisation of a Dalit judge for not submitting to his illegal demands, including, but not limited to, transfer from Rayachoty to Chintapally and misusing his position as the High Court Judge of Andhra Pradesh to use the subordinate judiciary to victimize the Dalit judge…”

# “That he possesses wealth disproportionate to his known sources of income… did not declare his assets to the Chief Justice and to the public in violation of the full court resolution of 1997.”

According to the notice, Justice Reddy  allegedly assaulted the junior civil judge, S Rama Krishna. He and his brother,  Pawan Kumar Reddy, use to call him by different names. The Justice did so as Rama Krishna refused to withdraw the name of Reddy’s brother from a dying declaration.

The dying declaration was given by the servant of Reddy’s brother  and was recorded by civil judge Krishna in 2012. In the declaration, the victim blamed Reddy’s brother of setting him on fire after he did not agree to sign a blank paper.

Sources said "floor leaders of various parties handed over the notice to Ansari. Asked why the MPs had decided to take up the issue which happened in 2012, an MP said the affected party had approached the High Court and the Supreme Court and even secured some RTI documents, but decided to approach the MPs as he did not get justice. He met the members and told his side of the story…they are convinced now."

The copies of various complaints made by the district court judge to the police, High Court vigilance registrar, Chief Justice of the Andhra Pradesh High Court and to the Chief Justice of India have been attached as annexures to the petition.

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BY M. DIVYA SRI