Government Considers Impeachment Motion Against Justice Varma

India

-Krishna Kripa

Updated: Wednesday, May 28, 2025, 0:33 [IST]

The
Union
government
is
contemplating
an
impeachment
motion
against
Justice
Yashwant
Varma
of
the
Allahabad
High
Court.
This
follows
a
Supreme
Court-appointed
panel’s
findings
of
burnt
cash
at
his
official
residence
in
Delhi.
The
government
may
introduce
this
motion
in
Parliament
during
the
Monsoon
Session
if
Justice
Varma
does
not
resign
voluntarily.

Justice
Varma,
previously
with
the
Delhi
High
Court,
was
sent
back
to
the
Allahabad
High
Court
after
the
incident.
Chief
Justice
of
India
Sanjiv
Khanna
had
recommended
his
impeachment
to
both
the
president
and
prime
minister.
Despite
being
urged
to
resign,
Justice
Varma
refused,
according
to
sources.

Impeachment
Process
and
Political
Consensus

An
impeachment
motion
requires
signatures
from
50
Rajya
Sabha
members
or
100
Lok
Sabha
members.
If
passed
by
a
two-thirds
majority,
the
Lok
Sabha
speaker
or
Rajya
Sabha
chairman
requests
the
CJI
to
appoint
a
Supreme
Court
judge
and
a
high
court
chief
justice
for
a
probe
committee.
The
government
also
nominates
an
eminent
jurist
to
this
panel.

Government
sources
emphasise
the
need
for
bipartisan
support
before
proceeding
against
Justice
Varma.
They
plan
to
consult
opposition
parties
on
the
motion’s
draft,
which
includes
findings
from
the
three-member
committee
that
investigated
the
cash
discovery.

Justice
Varma’s
Stance
and
Government’s
Next
Steps

Justice
Varma
maintains
his
innocence,
denying
any
connection
to
the
cash
found
after
a
fire
at
his
outhouse.
Despite
this,
political
parties
across
the
spectrum
have
criticised
him.
A
final
decision
on
moving
forward
with
impeachment
is
expected
soon,
as
ignoring
such
a
scandal
is
challenging,
according
to
a
source.

The
formal
process
for
action
against
Justice
Varma
has
not
yet
commenced.
However,
if
initiated,
it
could
be
presented
in
either
house
of
Parliament.
The
government
aims
for
broad
support
for
the
motion,
reflecting
its
seriousness
about
addressing
judicial
misconduct.

The
government’s
decision
will
consider
input
from
various
political
parties
to
ensure
comprehensive
backing.
This
approach
underscores
the
importance
of
maintaining
integrity
within
the
judiciary
while
respecting
due
process.

With
inputs
from
PTI