In an unprecedented show of solidarity, 56 former judges, including two former Supreme Court judges, several former Chief Justices, and retired High Court judges from across the country, issued a strongly worded public statement condemning attempts by certain Members of Parliament and senior advocates to seek the impeachment of Justice GR Swaminathan of the Madras High Court.
The signatories described the impeachment push as a “brazen attempt to browbeat judges” who do not align with partisan political expectations, warning that such actions strike at the foundation of judicial independence and constitutional democracy.
They cautioned that permitting political actors to weaponise impeachment would “cut at the very roots of our democracy”, turning a constitutional safeguard into a tool for intimidation. The statement invoked historical precedents from the Emergency including the supersession of Supreme Court judges after Kesavananda Bharati and the sidelining of Justice H.R. Khanna after ADM Jabalpur, as reminders of how political overreach threatens judicial autonomy.
The former judges argued that the current move against Justice Swaminathan fits into a disturbing recent pattern in which political groups attempt to discredit or pressure the higher judiciary whenever judgments do not serve their interests. They cited past campaigns against former Chief Justices Dipak Misra, Ranjan Gogoi, SA Bobde, and D.Y. Chandrachud, as well as attacks on current CJI Justice Surya Kant, as evidence of this trend.
Calling the impeachment attempt “anti-democratic, anti-constitutional, and an anathema to the rule of law”, the statement emphasised that today’s target may be one judge, but tomorrow the entire institution could be at risk.
The judges urged Members of Parliament, the Bar, civil society, and citizens to “unequivocally denounce this move” and prevent the impeachment initiative from proceeding. They stressed that judges are answerable only to their oath and the Constitution, not to ideological intimidation.
“In a Republic governed by the rule of law,” the signatories asserted, “judgments are tested by appeals and legal critique, not by threats of impeachment for political non-conformity.”
The statement was issued with the lead signatory Justice Narsimha Reddy, former Chief Justice of the Patna High Court, followed by a comprehensive list of former judges from the Supreme Court and 15 state High Courts.
56 former judges write against the Impeachment motion against Justice Swaminathan, whose order allowed for lamp to be lit in Madurai pic.twitter.com/QL6mAVlmtK
— Padmaja Joshi (@PadmajaJoshi) December 12, 2025
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