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New Delhi: Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla on Tuesday formally admitted an impeachment motion signed by 146 Members of Parliament seeking the removal of Justice Yashwant Varma of the Allahabad High Court. The move marks a rare and serious constitutional process, undertaken under Articles 124, 217, and 218 of the Constitution.
Addressing the House as it reconvened at noon after an initial adjournment, Birla announced the formation of a three-member inquiry committee to investigate allegations against Justice Varma. The motion, he clarified, would remain in abeyance until the panel submits its findings.
The committee will comprise Supreme Court judge Justice Aravind Kumar, Madras High Court Chief Justice Manindra Mohan Shrivastava, and senior jurist B.V. Acharya, a former Advocate General of Karnataka.
Allegations
The unprecedented move follows serious charges related to the alleged recovery of large sums of cash from Justice Varma’s residence. While details of the allegations have not yet been made public, the case has attracted broad political consensus across party lines.
On July 21, the opening day of the Monsoon session, MPs from multiple political parties handed a memorandum to the Speaker seeking Varma’s removal. The 146 signatories included prominent leaders such as BJP MPs Anurag Singh Thakur, Ravi Shankar Prasad, and Rajiv Pratap Rudy; Congress leader and Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi; Supriya Sule of NCP (SP); and representatives from TDP, JDU, JD(S), Jan Sena Party, AGP, Shiv Sena (Shinde faction), and CPM.
Rare Constitutional Step
Judicial impeachments in India are rare and involve a stringent process. Once a motion is admitted, the probe panel examines the evidence and submits its report. If the report upholds the charges, both Houses of Parliament must pass the motion by a two-thirds majority before it is sent to the President for final approval.
The Speaker’s decision to admit the motion and form the committee underscores the seriousness of the allegations. Political observers say the cross-party support for the impeachment indicates the high level of concern over the matter.
