56 former judges, including retired Supreme Court justices, have issued a joint statement condemning the impeachment motion against Madras High Court Judge Justice G.R. Swaminathan.
Describing the impeachment motion as “deeply troubling”, the former judges have condemned the politicial intimidation, adding that the it threatens judicial autonomy in the country.
“This is a brazen attempt to browbeat judges who do not fall in line with the ideological and political expectations of a particular section of society. If such an attempt is permitted to proceed, it would cut at the very roots of our democracy and the Independence of the judiciary. Even if the reasons mentioned by the signatory members of Parliament are taken at face value, their whole inadequate to justify resorting to such a rare, exceptional and serious constitutional measure as impeachment, “ the statement reads.
A group of former Supreme Court and High Court judges has condemned the move to impeach Justice G.R. Swaminathan, calling it an attempt to intimidate judges who do not align with certain political or ideological expectations. They urge MPs, the Bar, civil society, and citizens to… pic.twitter.com/1Ahdqjb9DD
— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) December 12, 2025
It further says, “It may be recalled that even during the dark period of the emergency, the government adopted various mechanisms, including suppressions, to penalise judges who refused to toe the line. The suppression of three senior-most judges of the Supreme Court after the decision in the Kesavananda Bharti case, the sidelining of Justice HR Khanna, after his famous dissent in the ADM Jabalpur case, are sobering reminders of how political overreach can damage judicial independence. Despite these onslaughts, our judiciary has stood the test of time and withstood all external pressures.”
A group of former Supreme Court and High Court judges has condemned the move to impeach Justice G.R. Swaminathan, calling it an attempt to intimidate judges who do not align with certain political or ideological expectations.
— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) December 12, 2025
The signatories include all the former judges who… pic.twitter.com/wYqTnZCyxU
“The very purpose of the impeachment mechanism is to afford the integrity of the judiciary, not to convert it into a tool of armtwisting, signalling, and retaliation,” the judges have written.
In conclusion, the statement reads, “In a republic governed by the rule of law, judgements should be tested by appeals and legal critique, and not by threats of impeachment for political nonconformity.”
The impeachment motion against Justice Swaminathan was submitted on December 9, 2025, by over 120 INDIA bloc MPs led by the DMK.
