Impeachment Motion Against Justice Varma Moves Ahead as Over 200 MPs Submit Notices
The process to impeach High Court judge Justice Yashwant Varma was formally set in motion on Monday as a large group of MPs from across party lines submitted a signed motion for his removal to the presiding officers of both Houses of Parliament.
On the first day of the Monsoon Session, 152 Lok Sabha members submitted a signed memorandum to Speaker Om Birla. A similar notice, signed by over 50 Rajya Sabha MPs, was submitted to Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar. The move comes after a Supreme Court-appointed panel found merit in allegations of misconduct against the judge following the recovery of burnt, unaccounted cash from his official residence.
The motion has garnered rare cross-party support, with signatories including MPs from the BJP, Congress, TDP, JDU, and CPM. Prominent names on the list include Anurag Thakur, Ravi Shankar Prasad, Rahul Gandhi, and Supriya Sule.
In the Upper House, Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar acknowledged the receipt of the motion and directed the secretary-general to take the necessary steps to move the impeachment process forward. This follows a statement on Sunday by Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju, who confirmed the government’s plan to bring the motion in this session.
The allegations against Justice Varma surfaced after a large quantity of charred currency notes was recovered from his official residence in Delhi following a fire on March 15. A subsequent inquiry panel appointed by the Supreme Court concluded that the misconduct was “grave enough to warrant his removal.”
Justice Varma has denied any wrongdoing and has challenged the impeachment recommendation in the Supreme Court, arguing that the inquiry violated his rights.
According to the Constitution, a judge can be removed only by an order of the President, which must be preceded by a motion for impeachment passed by both Houses of Parliament. The motion must be signed by at least 100 Lok Sabha members or 50 Rajya Sabha members before it can be admitted for discussion.
