New Delhi, July 4: India’s federal government is preparing to initiate the process to remove Justice Yashwant Varma of the Allahabad High Court, Union Minister Kiren Rijiju said on Thursday, following a fire incident earlier this year that revealed sacks of burnt cash at the judge’s official residence.
Prominent opposition parties have extended their in-principle support for the motion, and the Centre is likely to begin collecting the required signatures from Members of Parliament (MPs) soon, Rijiju said. The government is yet to decide whether the motion will be introduced in the Lok Sabha or Rajya Sabha.
Under Indian law, removal of a judge requires the backing of at least 100 MPs in the Lok Sabha or 50 MPs in the Rajya Sabha. Once the motion is admitted in either House, the Speaker or Chairman must constitute a three-member inquiry committee as laid out in the Judges (Inquiry) Act of 1968. The panel typically includes the Chief Justice of India or a Supreme Court judge, a high court chief justice, and a distinguished jurist.
The motion stems from a fire incident in March at Justice Varma’s then-official residence in New Delhi, when he was serving as a Delhi High Court judge. The fire led to the discovery of several sacks filled with burnt banknotes in an outhouse on the property. Justice Varma denied any knowledge of the cash.
Although a Supreme Court-appointed committee examined the case by interviewing witnesses and recording the judge’s statement, Rijiju clarified that the committee did not indict Justice Varma. Instead, the report was intended to guide potential parliamentary action, as only Parliament holds the authority to remove a judge.
Rijiju said the government was treating the matter as a serious case of alleged judicial corruption and aimed to build a broad political consensus before moving forward. The monsoon session of Parliament will be held from July 21 to August 21. “Since this is a sensitive issue concerning the judiciary, we want all political parties to be on board,” Rijiju said.
