Lok Sabha to Initiate Removal Proceedings Against High Court Judge
The Lok Sabha is set to take up a bipartisan motion, signed by 152 MPs, to remove Allahabad High Court Justice Yashwant Varma over corruption allegations. The move follows an inquiry by a Supreme Court-appointed committee that indicted the judge after wads of half-burnt currency were found at his residence. A similar notice filed by the opposition in the Rajya Sabha was not admitted, clearing the way for proceedings to begin in the lower house, a rare and significant step for judicial accountability.
Unpacked:
A High Court judge can be removed only through impeachment by Parliament. The process involves a motion signed by at least 100 Lok Sabha or 50 Rajya Sabha members, an investigation, and passage by a two-thirds majority in both houses, followed by presidential assent.
Justice Yashwant Varma was indicted after a large sum of unaccounted cash was found at his residence, discovered during a fire. A Supreme Court-appointed committee investigated and reported on the incident, though the detailed report remains confidential.
The Rajya Sabha's notice was not admitted due to procedural decisions by the house's presiding officers, which can include factors like technical grounds or the stage of investigation. This cleared the way for proceedings to begin in the Lok Sabha.
Such impeachment proceedings are extremely rare. Only a handful of attempts have ever been initiated, and none have resulted in actual removal of a judge since independence.