Impeachment motion against Allahabad High Court judge Yashwant Varma in Monsoon session
Justice Varma
NEW DELHI: The Centre set to introduce an impeachment motion against Allahabad High Court Judge Justice Yashwant Varma in the upcoming Monsoon Session of Parliament, expected to commence in mid-July.
Govt sources on Tuesday confirmed motion to be introduced in the upcoming session.
The move follows a Supreme Court-appointed inquiry panel's indictment of Justice Varma over allegations of unaccounted cash discovered at his official residence in Delhi after a fire on March 14, 2025.
Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju is set to hold consultations with all political parties to build consensus for the unprecedented motion, which, if passed, would mark the first-ever impeachment of a High Court judge in India.
Govt sources said that there is a process of forming a panel to investigate the charges against the accused judge before an impeachment motion. However, that formality is not needed since the Supreme Court has already completed the exercise.
The controversy erupted when emergency services, responding to the fire at Justice Varma's residence, recovered a substantial amount of burnt currency notes, reportedly stacked as high as 1.5 feet in a storeroom.
A three-member panel, constituted by then-Chief Justice of India Sanjiv Khanna on March 22, 2025, and comprising Justices Sheel Nagu, G S Sandhawalia, and Anu Sivaraman, found credence in the allegations of misconduct.
The panel's report, submitted on May 4, stated that Justice Varma failed to explain the source of the cash, deeming the misconduct serious enough to warrant impeachment proceedings.
Justice Varma, who was transferred from the Delhi High Court to the Allahabad High Court following the incident, has denied the allegations, calling them a conspiracy.
Despite the Supreme Court's recommendation to resign, he has refused, prompting the government to initiate the impeachment process.
Under the Constitution of India and the Judges (Inquiry) Act, 1968, an impeachment motion requires the support of at least 100 Lok Sabha or 50 Rajya Sabha members to be tabled. It must then pass with a two-thirds majority in both Houses. The government, keen on ensuring bipartisan support, has tasked Minister Rijiju with engaging opposition parties, including the Congress, TMC, and DMK, to back the motion.
The Allahabad High Court Bar Association has welcomed the move, emphasizing the need to uphold public trust in the judiciary.
The case has sparked debates on judicial accountability and the balance of power between the judiciary and the executive. Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar stressed the importance of legal due process, stating, 'Judicial independence must not preclude accountability.'
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