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Thirty-six erstwhile judges connected Saturday (December 20, 2025) gave a telephone to people, including parliamentarians, to denounce absorption leaders' move to impeach Madras High Court justice Justice G.R. Swaminathan, saying specified an attempt, if allowed to proceed, would chopped astatine the precise roots of ideology and independency of the judiciary.
On December 1, Justice Swaminathan held that the Arulmighu Subramania Swamy Temple was duty-bound to airy the lamp astatine the Deepathoon, successful summation to the customary lighting adjacent the Uchi Pillaiyar Mandapam.
The single-judge seat said that doing truthful would not encroach upon the rights of the adjacent dargah oregon the Muslim community.
The bid sparked a row, and connected December 9, respective absorption MPs, led by the DMK, submitted a announcement to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla to determination a question for the removal of the judge.
Taking superior objection to the move, the erstwhile judges successful a associated connection said this is simply a "brazen effort to browbeat judges who bash not autumn successful enactment with the ideological and governmental expectations of a peculiar conception of society".
"If specified an effort is permitted to proceed, it would chopped astatine the precise roots of our ideology and the independency of the judiciary," they said.
"We truthful telephone upon each stakeholders -- Members of Parliament crossed enactment lines, members of the Bar, civilian society, and citizens astatine ample -- to unequivocally denounce this determination and guarantee that it is nipped successful the bud astatine the precise inception," they added.
The connection emphasised that the judges indispensable stay answerable to their oath and to the Constitution of India, not to "partisan governmental pressures oregon ideological intimidation".
"The connection from each law stakeholders indispensable beryllium wide and firm: successful a republic governed by the regularisation of law, judgments are tested by appeals and ineligible critique, and not by threats of impeachment for governmental nonconformity," it said.
The connection was signed by erstwhile Supreme Court justice Krishn Murari J arsenic good arsenic ex-chief justices and erstwhile judges of antithetic precocious courts.
The connection said the absorption party's determination is not an "isolated aberration". It fits into a "clear and profoundly troubling pattern" successful India's caller law history, wherever sections of the governmental people person sought to discredit and intimidate the higher judiciary whenever outcomes bash not align with their interests, it added.
"The unprecedented bid successful 2018 to initiate impeachment proceedings against past Chief Justice of India Dipak Misra, the sustained campaigns of vilification directed astatine Chief Justices Ranjan Gogoi, S A Bobde and D Y Chandrachud portion they were successful office," the connection noted.
"The targeted attacks present being mounted against the incumbent CJI, Justice Surya Kant, whenever a judgment/remark displeases a governmental constituency, are each manifestations of the aforesaid trend," it said.
"This is not principled, reasoned disapproval of judicial decisions; it is an effort to weaponise impeachment and nationalist calumny arsenic instruments of unit -- a signifier that strikes astatine the bosom of judicial independency and the basal norms of law democracy," the connection added.
Who is Justice G.R. Swaminathan? | Focus Tamil Nadu
Justice G R Swaminathan’s sanction is everywhere, not conscionable for his judgments but for a tempest of impeachment allegations. From defending a persecuted writer and a vilified Muslim radical to ordering a arguable probe into a spiritual conversion mentation and allowing the lighting of a ineffable lamp adjacent a dargah—his judicial travel has been analyzable and captivating. Who is Justice Swaminathan, what drives his decisions, and wherefore are 107 MPs from the INDIA bloc seeking his impeachment? | Video Credit: The Hindu
