Impeachment motion against Justice Yashwant Varma likely in next Parliament session

New Delhi: The Centre is taking steps to build an all-party consensus to impeach Allahabad High Court's Justice Yashwant Varma, who is facing allegations of corruption after the discovery of a large amount of cash from his previous official residence in Delhi.

Sources said the government is set to move an impeachment motion in Parliament during the upcoming Monsoon Session and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju has been tasked to speak to leaders of various parties to initiate the process following his indictment by a probe committee constituted by then Chief Justice of India Sanjiv Khanna.

Justice Varma landed in the eye of a storm after a fire incident at his official residence when he was a judge in Delhi High Court when several burnt sacks of cash were discovered at the premises.

While Varma denied any wrongdoing, Justice Khanna wrote to President Droupadi Murmu seeking his removal from the post. A judge in a high court and the Supreme Court can be removed only through impeachment in Parliament. Justice Verma was transferred to Allahabad High Court, where he has not been assigned any judicial work.

The impeachment motion can be brought in either Lok Sabha or Rajya Sabha but it has to be passed by the other House too. At least 50 members in the Rajya Sabha and 100 in the Lok Sabha have to sign the motion before it is admitted by the Chair.

Sources said the Modi government wants to project a united face in the issue and it wants support of all parties to send a message against judicial corruption.

Only twice, Parliament had taken up an impeachment motion. Former Supreme Court judge V Ramaswami was the first to face impeachment on charges of misuse of public funds but the motion did not get enough votes in 1993.

Soumitra Sen of the Calcutta High Court resigned in 2011 after the Rajya Sabha passed an impeachment motion against him, rendering the process infructuous.