NEW DELHI: A group of opposition MPs, led by the DMK, submitted a notice on Tuesday to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla seeking permission to move a motion for the removal of Madras High Court Judge GR Swaminathan.
The notice follows a recent order by Justice Swaminathan directing the Subramaniya Swamy temple authorities at Thiruparankundram to ensure that a lamp is lit at the deepathoon, a stone lamp pillar situated near a dargah on the hillock. The order, issued on 1 December, stated that lighting the lamp was a duty of the temple and would not infringe upon the rights of the neighbouring dargah or the Muslim community.
When the direction was not implemented, the judge passed another order on 3 December allowing devotees themselves to light the lamp. He also instructed the Central Industrial Security Force to provide protection to those who wished to do so.
This second order prompted the DMK-led Tamil Nadu government to approach the Supreme Court, arguing that the directive had wider implications and required urgent intervention. The opposition MPs have cited these developments in their notice to the Speaker, seeking parliamentary action against the judge.
The matter is expected to generate significant discussion, as it touches on questions of judicial conduct and the intersection of religious practices within shared spaces. Further steps will depend on whether the Speaker admits the motion for consideration.
