Impeachment - Definition - Law Dictionary Home Dictionary Definition impeachment

Definition :

Impeachment, a prosecution by the House of Commons before the House of Lords of any person, either peer or commoner, for treason, or other high crimes and misdemeanours, or of a peer for any crime; in modern times rarely been resorted to, though informer periods of our history of frequent occurrence. The last memorable cases are those of Warren Hastings, in 1788, and Lord Melville, in 1805.

As to the procedure, see May's Parliamentary Practice.

Means bringing a public official before a proper tribunal on a charge of wrong doing, Webster American Dictionary, p. 959.

Is the prosecution of President by Parliament for violation of the Constitution. (Constitution of India, Art. 61)

In U.K. by the Law of Parliament, all persons, whether peers or commoners can be impeached for any crimes; but it is generally resorted to in respect of extraordinary crimes and extraordinary offen-ces, Parliamentary Practice, Erskine, May, 22nd Edn., 1997, p. 63.

Means the accusation of treason or other crimes is brought before the House of Lords by the Com-mons; prosecution is initiated by the Commons and is conducted by managers appointed out of their own body; the trial takes place in the Lords which adjudicates upon the charge preferred, Parlia-mentary Dictionary, L.A. Abraham and S.C. Hawtrey, 1956, p. 107.

A person found guilty may be removed from his office, Dictionary of Political Science, Joseph Dunner, 1965, p. 252.

In India impeachment is directed against the President and he can be removed from office under this procedure for violating the Constitution. [Constitution of India, Art. 56(1)(b)]