145 Lok Sabha MPs, around 100 lawmakers in Rajya Sabha submit notices seeking impeachment of Justice Varma

New Delhi: Close to 150 MPs in Lok Sabha and around 100 lawmakers in Rajya Sabha on Monday submitted separate notices to the presiding officers of both the Houses seeking impeachment of Allahabad High Court judge Justice Yashwant Varma from whose residence burnt wads of currency notes were found.

A multi-party delegation submitted the notice bearing the signatures of 145 Lok Sabha MPs for the removal of Justice Varma under Articles 124, 217 and 218 of the Constitution to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla while a separate notice was handed over to Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar by 63 Opposition lawmakers of the Upper House.

Apart from the 63 signatures submitted by the Opposition, BJP MPs, too, have submitted over 40 signatures in support of the motion, taking the total signatures in the Rajya Sabha across 100.

Sources said the signatories to the notice in Lok Sabha included Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi, BJP's Ravi Shankar Prasad and Anurag Thakur, NCP-SP's Supriya Sule, Congress leaders KC Venugopal and Kodikkunnil Suresh, DMK's T R Baalu, RSP MP N K Premachandran and Muslim League MP ET Mohd Basheer among others.

Sources said at least 52 of the 145 signatures belonged to the Congress while around 75-80 belonged to the BJP. The collection of notice in Lok Sabha was initiated by senior BJP MP Ravi Shankar Prasad, also a former Law Minister.

Congress Rajya Sabha Chief Whip Jairam Ramesh said 63 Rajya Sabha MPs belonging to various Opposition parties submitted the notice to Dhankhar. A similar motion for the removal of Justice Shekhar Yadav had been submitted to the Chairman Rajya Sabha way back on December 13 last year, he said.

Samajwadi Party sources said party MPs have not signed the motion and would not support it. SP-backed independent MP Kapil Sibal is also actively campaigning in favour of Justice Varma.

In Rajya Sabha, Dhankhar said he has received a motion for removal of Justice Yashwant Varma and the Secretary General will take necessary steps on motion for removal of Justice Varma.

According to the Judges (Inquiry) Act, when notices of a motion are submitted on the same day in both the Houses of Parliament, a committee to examine the charges levelled against the judge will be constituted by the Lok Sabha Speaker and the Rajya Sabha Chairman. No committee shall be constituted unless the motion has been admitted in both Houses, according to the Act.

The committee will comprise of a senior judge of the Supreme Court, a sitting chief justice of a high court and a distinguished jurist. The deadline for the panel to submit its report will be three months.

After the inquiry report is tabled in Parliament, a discussion will follow in both Houses after which there will be voting on the motion for the removal of Justice Varma.