Impeachment Motion To Be Tabled Against Allahabad HC's Justice Yashwant Varma In Cash Row Case

Centre is planning to initiate an impeachment motion against Justice Yashwant Varma of the Allahabad High Court.

This follows allegations of corruption after a stockpile of cash was found at his official residence in Delhi.

Photo Credit: PTI

The government aims to secure all-party support for this action in Parliament.

A fire at Varma's Delhi residence in March led to the discovery of burnt sacks of cash. Although Varma denied knowledge of the money, a Supreme Court-appointed committee indicted him after interviewing witnesses and recording his statement. The committee included Justice Sheel Nagu, Justice G S Sandhawalia, and Justice Anu Sivaraman.

Impeachment Motion Process

The impeachment process requires the motion to be introduced in both Houses of Parliament. It needs signatures from at least 50 Rajya Sabha members and 100 Lok Sabha members before being admitted by the Chair.

The Law Minister will move the motion, seeking cross-party support to demonstrate a unified stance against judicial corruption.

Justice Varma was transferred back to the Allahabad High Court, where he currently has no judicial duties. The Chief Justice of India at the time, Sanjiv Khanna, reportedly urged him to resign, but Varma refused. Consequently, Khanna recommended impeachment to the President and Prime Minister.

Historical Context and Parliamentary Action

Only two impeachment motions have been considered by Parliament before. In 1993, a motion against Supreme Court judge V Ramaswami failed due to insufficient support. In 2011, Calcutta High Court's Soumitra Sen resigned after the Rajya Sabha passed an impeachment motion against him.

The monsoon session of Parliament is expected to commence around mid-July when the government will present the motion against Varma. The motion must pass with a two-thirds majority in both Houses for it to succeed.

Opposition's Role and Committee Findings

Opposition members were vocal about taking action against Varma after news of the cash discovery broke. However, the government awaited the Supreme Court's position on the matter. The three-member committee submitted its report on May 4, but its findings remain undisclosed.

The government seeks to convey a message of collective parliamentary resolve against alleged judicial corruption. The sensational nature of the burnt cash videos has caused widespread concern across the country and its institutions.

With inputs from PTI