Amit Shah Condemns INDIA Bloc's Unprecedented Move to Impeach High Court Judge Over Religious Custom Ruling

Union Home Minister Amit Shah has strongly condemned the Opposition parties for pursuing what he described as "appeasement politics" through their attempt to impeach Justice GR Swaminathan of the Madras High Court's Madurai Bench.

During his response to the electoral reforms debate in the Lok Sabha on Wednesday, Shah emphasized that such an impeachment attempt against a judge for delivering a judgment is unprecedented in post-independence India.

"This has never happened in all the years after independence that a judge is facing impeachment for delivering a judgment. They brought the impeachment to appease their vote bank," Shah declared.

The Home Minister expressed particular surprise that Shiv Sena (UBT) had added their signature to the impeachment petition. He clarified that the judgment in question simply involved a traditional custom of lighting a lamp at a hilltop location.

Over 100 MPs from the INDIA bloc coalition submitted a formal letter to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla regarding an impeachment motion against Justice Swaminathan. The judge had ordered authorities at the Subramaniya Swamy temple to light a traditional lamp at a stone pillar near a dargah atop a hillock in Tamil Nadu. This decision prompted criticism from the DMK-led Tamil Nadu government, which alleged the judge showed bias in his ruling.

DMK MP Kanimozhi defended the impeachment effort, claiming Justice Swaminathan had delivered "biased judgements on lines of religion" and demonstrated "partiality towards certain lawyers."

"We've seen that his judgments have been biased on the lines of religion and creating differences in people and also been partial towards certain lawyers. It's a secular country, and the constitution says that everybody is equal, whatever religion they belong to; they are equal before the law. I think the judicial system, the judiciary too, has to ensure that the people get justice, and there's no difference in that," the DMK leader told ANI.

Tensions escalated during the Hindu festival of Karthigai Deepam last week when right-wing activists clashed with police. The Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court had previously directed that a lamp be lit at the hilltop temple.

Justice GR Swaminathan, responding to a petition from a right-wing activist, had instructed state authorities to ensure the lighting of the sacred lamp atop the hill. However, government officials contended this violated the established practice of lighting the lamp at the nearby Deepa Mandapam, a tradition observed for many years.