Impeachment proceedings against Justice Sen dropped

New Delhi, Sep 5 (PTI) Lok Sabha (lower house of Indian
Parliament) will drop impeachment proceedings against former
Calcutta High Court judge Justice Soumitra Sen, originally
scheduled for Monday.
The decision was taken at a meeting Finance Minister
Pranab Mukherjee had with Law Minister Salman Khurshid and
Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pawan Kumar Bansal.
Speaker Meira Kumar also consulted the government and
political parties over the issue on Monday morning.
"There will be no impeachment as the process has now
become infructuous after Sen's resignation was accepted," a
senior minister said speaking on the condition of anonymity.
He was asked whether Sen's impeachment as listed in Lok
Sabha business for Monday, will be taken up.
"I have to consult because there have been new
developments. I will be talking," the Speaker had told
reporters outside Parliament before the House commenced.
Government had notified the resignation of Justice Sen
of the Calcutta High Court on Sunday.
In the normal course, such a notification is not required
since the resignation of a constitutional authority is deemed
to be accepted if it is in order.
Attorney General G E Vahanvati had opined on Friday
that impeachment proceedings, having already been completed in
the Rajya Sabha (upper house of Parliament) , should be
completed by the other house.
This opinion appeared to be based on the premise that the
resignation letter faxed by Sen to Rashtrapati Bhavan on
Thursday could not be taken cognisance of since such letters
must be written in the hand of the judge as per Art 217 (a) of
the Constitution.
Sen had later sent his handwritten letter to the
President on Saturday paving the way for dropping the
impeachment motion in Lok Sabha against him.