Cash at home row: Govt likely to move impeachment motion against justice Yashwant Varma in monsoon session
Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government is likely to bring an impeachment motion against former Delhi High Court judge Justice Yashwant Varma in the cash at residence case during the upcoming monsoon session. The move follows Justive Varma’s indictment by the Supreme Court in-house inquiry panel.
Earlier this month, a three-member committee, set up by the Supreme Court, had confirmed the presence of cash found at High Court judge Justice Yashwant Varma’s residence in New Delhi after a fire broke out there around Holi on March 14.
On May 8, the then Chief Justice of India (CJI) Sanjiv Khanna forwarded the findings of a three-judge in-house committee set up to investigate allegations of corruption against Justice Yashwant Varma to both the President and the Prime Minister of India. CJI Khanna retired on 13 May.
The President has now referred the former CJI’s recommendation to the Chairman of the Rajya Sabha and the Lok Sabha Speaker, according to media reports.
At least 50 members need to back the impeachment motion against a judge of a constitutional court to be considered in the Rajya Sabha. In the Lok Sabha, it has to be backed by at least 100 members.
If justice Varma is removed, he will be the first judge of a constitutional court to be sacked.
Process to begin soon
The process of impeachment is likely to be initiated by the offices of the Lok Sabha Speaker and the Rajya Sabha Chairman in the upcoming session of the Parliament. The Monsoon session is also expected to debate the Pahalgam terror attack and Operation Sindoor – India’s precision strike on terror camps in Pakistan on May 7.
The Monsoon session of Parliament is expected to begin by the third week of July.
For an impeachment motion against a judge to be passed, at least two-thirds of those present and voting in both Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha must vote in favour of the motion. The number of votes in favour must be more than 50 per cent of the total membership of each House.
And if the Parliament passes the vote, the President will then pass an order for the removal of the judge.
A pile of cash was recovered from Justice Yashwant Varma’s house after a fire broke out. Family members of the judge called emergency services, who then called the police. The incident happened on 14 March, during Holi celebrations.
On 20 March, the Supreme Court panel had proposed that Justice Varma, who was a judge of the Delhi High Court at the time, be transferred to Allahabad.
The proposal came after the cash was discovered. The apex court clarified that the “proposal for the transfer…is independent and separate from the in-house enquiry procedure” initiated by the Chief Justice of the Delhi High Court, Justice DK Upadhyay, after receiving information about the cash discovery.
