Move follows internal probe over unaccounted cash recovery; government seeks bipartisan support as Bar Association backs action
The Union government is set to introduce an impeachment motion against Justice Yashwant Varma of the Allahabad High Court during the upcoming Monsoon Session of Parliament. The move follows the findings of an internal judicial inquiry which indicted Justice Varma after the discovery of unaccounted cash at his residence.
Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju confirmed that discussions were underway with various political parties to build a cross-party consensus. 바카라This is a non-political matter, and we are trying to ensure that all parties are on board,바카라 Rijiju told The Hindu, though he declined to name the parties approached so far.
The controversy dates back to March, when a fire broke out at Justice Varma바카라s Delhi residence바카라then serving on the Delhi High Court. During the fire response, officials reportedly uncovered significant amounts of unexplained cash in an outhouse, prompting an internal probe. Justice Varma was subsequently transferred to the Allahabad High Court.
On March 22, then Chief Justice of India Sanjiv Khanna appointed a three-judge in-house inquiry panel, comprising Justice Sheel Nagu (Chief Justice of Punjab and Haryana High Court), Justice G.S. Sandhawalia (Chief Justice of Himachal Pradesh High Court), and Justice Anu Sivaraman (Judge, Karnataka High Court). The committee began its investigation on March 25 and submitted its report on May 4, recommending Justice Varma바카라s removal.
Justice Varma, however, refused to resign when urged to do so, following which CJI Khanna wrote to the President and Prime Minister, requesting steps toward his removal.
High-level meetings were held throughout the day on the matter. Home Minister Amit Shah met Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and later, along with Health Minister and Rajya Sabha Leader J.P. Nadda, met with Vice President and Rajya Sabha Chairperson Jagdeep Dhankhar. These discussions suggest that the motion may be introduced first in the Rajya Sabha.
As per Article 124(4) of the Constitution, an impeachment motion requires support from at least 50 MPs in the Rajya Sabha or 100 MPs in the Lok Sabha. Typically, a separate three-member inquiry committee is formed after the motion is admitted. However, officials indicate this may not be necessary in this case since the CJI-led in-house committee has already completed its investigation.
The Allahabad High Court Bar Association has welcomed the Centre바카라s decision to proceed with impeachment.
Meanwhile, the Supreme Court has dismissed an RTI application seeking access to the committee바카라s report and related correspondence between the CJI and the executive, citing the confidentiality of the in-house mechanism.