Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairman Harivansh Narayan Singh dismissed the opposition’s notice to impeach Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar and said the notice was drawn in haste to mar the reputation of the house chairman.
Rajya Sabha Secretary General P.C. Mody tabled the deputy chairman’s ruling on Thursday. In his ruling, Singh said the impeachment notice was part of a design to “denigrate the nation's constitutional institutions and malign the incumbent.” The deputy chairman ruled that the notice is “personally targeted” and bereft of facts, aimed at securing publicity.
The deputy chairman was entrusted to deal with the notice after Chairman Dhankhar recused himself from it, PTI reported. Calling the notice a "misadventure", Singh ruled, “Worrisomely for the prestige of Parliament and its members, the notice is replete with assertions only to malign the incumbent vice president,” sources who are aware of the development told PTI.
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At least 60 opposition members moved an impeachment motion against the vice president on December 10 after the Rajya Sabha was adjourned for days in a row following a ruckus by opposition members. Congress leaders Jairam Ramesh and Naseer Hussain submitted the notice to Rajya Sabha secretary calling him “biased”. Moving the notice, Ramesh had said, "We do not have the numbers to win, but it is a strong message to fight for parliamentary democracy. Nothing against individuals, this is a fight for institutions."
The INDIA bloc moved the petition after Dhankhar denied permission to notices by opposition members to adjourn the house and discuss key issues. The opposition sought discussion on various issues including the Adani bribery case, violence in Manipur and Sambhal, and Wayanad relief. Dhankhar allowing ruling party members to level accusations against Congress leader Sonia Gandhi, over her alleged links with American businessman George Soros, also triggered the motion.
