Justice Varma Faces Impeachment Heat, 145 Lok Sabha MPs Back Motion, 63 Oppn MPs Submit Notice In Rajya Sabha
Members of Parliament across party lines have submitted notices in both Houses for the impeachment of Justice Yashwant Varma, following the discovery of burnt currency notes at his residence earlier this year.
On Monday, a memorandum backed by 145 Lok Sabha MPs was submitted to Speaker Om Birla, seeking the removal of Justice Yashwant Varma under Articles 124, 217, and 218 of the Constitution. Lawmakers from a range of political parties—such as the Congress, TDP, JDU, JDS, Jan Sena Party, AGP, Shiv Sena (Shinde faction), Lok Janshakti Party, Samajwadi Krantikari Party, and CPM—signed the impeachment motion.
Prominent figures who signed the memorandum include Anurag Singh Thakur, Ravi Shankar Prasad, Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi, Rajiv Pratap Rudy, PP Chaudhary, Supriya Sule, and KC Venugopal.
Speaking to news agency ANI about the motion, BJP MP Ravi Shankar Prasad remarked, “This is a constitutional process. The conduct of an individual judge in terms of propriety is equally important for independence of the judiciary. We have filed our notice in this regard.”
Justice Yashwant Varma Impeachment: Rajya Sabha MPs Submit Parallel Notice
Separately, 63 opposition MPs submitted a notice in the Rajya Sabha seeking Justice Varma’s removal. The notice was handed over to Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar, Congress MP Syed Naseer Hussain informed reporters, news agency PTI reported. Members from the Aam Aadmi Party and INDIA bloc were among the signatories.
Although Trinamool Congress members were not present during the submission, Hussain confirmed that the party is in agreement with the move and will send in their signatures subsequently.
Justice Yashwant Varma Impeachment: Removal Process Under Judicial Inquiry Act
As per constitutional provisions, a motion for the removal of a High Court judge requires the backing of at least 100 MPs in the Lok Sabha and 50 in the Rajya Sabha. Once a motion is admitted, the Speaker or Chairman must establish a three-member committee under the Judges Inquiry Act to investigate the allegations. This panel typically includes a senior Supreme Court judge, a current Chief Justice of a High Court, and a distinguished jurist.
The committee is expected to present its report within three months, which will then be laid before both Houses of Parliament for debate and voting.
Justice Yashwant Varma Cash Recovery Row
Justice Varma, who has denied all allegations, came under scrutiny after a fire incident in March led to the recovery of charred bundles of cash from a storeroom in his residence. A Supreme Court-appointed in-house committee later concluded that Justice Varma and his family exercised direct or indirect control over the area where the money was found. The panel deemed his conduct serious enough to warrant removal from office.
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