Government to move impeachment motion against Justice Varma during Monsoon Session

File picture of Justice Yashwant Varma. | Photo Credit: PTI

The Union government will bring a motion of impeachment against Justice Yashwant Varma of the Allahabad High Court during the coming Monsoon Session of Parliament and has initiated the process of building an all-party consensus for this action.

Speaking to The Hindu, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju confirmed that he had begun speaking to political parties over the impeachment motion. “I have started reaching out to political parties as this is a non-political issue and would be better for all parties to be on board for the same,” he said.

Mr. Rijiju did not disclose the names of the leaders of parties he had contacted so far, but said these would be revealed in due course.

The impeachment motion against Justice Varma follows his indictment by a three-member committee constituted by the then Chief Justice of India Justice Sanjiv Khanna. A fire at Justice Verma’s residence in New Delhi in March, when he was a judge at the Delhi High Court, had led to the discovery of unaccounted cash in an outhouse.

Justice Sheel Nagu, Chief Justice of the Punjab and Haryana High Court; Justice GS Sandhawalia, Chief Justice of the Himachal Pradesh High Court; and Justice Anu Sivaraman of the Karnataka High Court were part of the three-member in-house committee constituted by Chief Justice Khanna on March 22. The committee began its probe on March 25 and submitted its report to Chief Justice Khanna on May 4.

While Justice Varma maintained his innocence over the recovery of the cash, the committee indicted him. Justice Varma, who was transferred to the Allahabad High Court during the controversy, was nudged to resign but he refused, prompting Chief Justice Khanna to write to the President and the Prime Minister to take measures for his removal.

Sources in the government said the inquiry committee’s report had recommended Justice Varma’s removal and the Union Law Minister will move the motion based on the report.

For the motion of impeachment to be moved, the resolution requires the support of 50 MPs if it is to be moved in the Rajya Sabha and 100 MPs if moved in the Lok Sabha. The motion of impeachment can be moved in either House. “The attempt of the government would be to make it a wholly bipartisan move,” a senior government source said.

The constitutionally laid down procedure for the impeachment of a judge when a motion is admitted in either House usually requires the constitution of a three-member committee comprising the Chief Justice of India or a Supreme Court judge, the Chief Justice of a High Court, and an eminent jurist, but, government sources said, in Justice Varma’s case this will likely not be required as the inquiry committee constituted by Chief Justice Khanna has already sifted through the evidence.

The Monsoon Session of Parliament is likely be begin in the second week of July.

Published - June 03, 2025 10:02 pm IST