TODAY FOR the first time, Rajya Sabha voted to impeach Calcutta High Court judge Soumitra Sen on account of corruption. He was found guilty of misrepresenting facts and amassing funds. Adding another first to the case was the fact that it was a televised proceeding.

The total votes in Rajya Sabha for the removal of Sounitra Sen were 189 to 17 votes that were against the act. Initially, voice vote was passed followed by division. The impeachment is just two steps away. The man at the centre of controversy, Soumitra Sen, said to a media outlet, “I am extremely shocked as well as disappointed.”

However, he is in no mood to give up his fight and he was quoted saying, “This is a battle for me and I will fight it to the hill. It is better to take a bullet on your chest rather than on your back. I am convinced on facts in law that I have a very strong case and there is absolutely no question of misappropriation (of funds).”

The matter will move from Rajya Sabha to Lok Sabha within a week.

The motion that was moved by CPI(M) leader Sitaram Yechury in the Rajya Sabha have the vote of all the major parties including Congress. A special committed was constituted by Rajya Sabha chairman Hamid Ansari and they accused the Judge of amassing as much as 24 lakh when he was serving as a lawyer and was appointed receiver by the Calcutta High Court in 1980.

A leader of the opposition party Arun Jaitley criticised Soumitra Sen and even raised the matter of the faulty appointment of Judges in India. Talking about the same, he said, “The system of judges alone appointing judges must now change. India needs a National Judicial Commission to appoint judges.”

The defamed Judge Soumitra Sen was given his 90 mintues to defend himself in Rajya Sabha and he said that it is a fight for him and he is not giving up that easily. He also said that he was being ‘victimised in a pre-determined move.’