"Unconstitutional": TKS Elangovan objects to Centre's involvement in Madras HC judge impeachment

Chennai (Tamil Nadu) [India], December 11 : DMK leader TKS Elangovan on Thursday criticised the alleged involvement of the Central government in the impeachment motion initiated against Madras High Court Judge GR Swaminathan, terming it "unconstitutional" and asserting that the matter squarely falls within the state's domain.
Speaking to ANI, Elangovan said, "It is a state matter, but the Centre being involved is unconstitutional. A judge acting on behalf of the BJP is itself against the law. That is why we have given notice and want the discussion to happen, so the whole world knows why we brought this impeachment bill."
He further escalated his attack, alleging that the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) is "anti-Hindu" and accusing the organisation of attempting to "impose Manu Dharma in the state."
Elangovan's remarks follow a move by 100 INDIA bloc MPs, who on Wednesday submitted a letter to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, seeking action on the impeachment motion against Justice Swaminathan. The motion comes after the judge directed authorities of the Subramaniya Swamy temple to light a traditional lamp at a stone pillar located near a dargah on a hillock in Tamil Nadu.
The directive had triggered political controversy and protests on the ground, particularly in the backdrop of recent clashes in Thiruparankundram during Karthigai Deepam festivities, where right-wing groups confronted police over the lighting of the lamp atop the hill.
On this, Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Wednesday accused the Opposition parties of "appeasement" politics, criticising their move to impeach Justice GR Swaminathan of the Madras High Court's Madurai Bench.
Reacting strongly to the Opposition's move, Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Wednesday accused the INDIA bloc of engaging in "appeasement" politics. During his reply to the debate on electoral reforms in the Lok Sabha, Shah said the attempt to impeach a judge over a judicial order was "unprecedented."
"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 thier vote bank," he said.
He expressed surprise that Shiv Sena (UBT) had also signed the petition. The Home Minister said the judgment is that there's a custom to light a lamp at the hilltop.
Acting on a petition filed by a right-wing activist, Justice GR Swaminathan had instructed state authorities to ensure that the sacred lamp was lit atop the hill. However, government officials maintained that this violated the longstanding practice of lighting the lamp at the nearby Deepa Mandapam, a ritual observed for several years.