Justice Varma Faces Impeachment Heat, 145 Lok Sabha MPs Back Motion, Process Initiated In Rajya Sabha
MPs from various parties initiated impeachment proceedings against Justice Yashwant Varma in both Houses. A Lok Sabha memorandum was backed by 145 MPs while a Rajya Sabha notice was submitted with with 63 opposition signatures.
Members of Parliament across party lines have submitted notices in both Houses for the impeachment of Justice Yashwant Varma, following the discovery of burnt currency notes at his residence earlier this year.
On Monday, a memorandum backed by 145 Lok Sabha MPs was submitted to Speaker Om Birla, seeking the removal of Justice Yashwant Varma under Articles 124, 217, and 218 of the Constitution. Lawmakers from a range of political parties—such as the Congress, TDP, JDU, JDS, Jan Sena Party, AGP, Shiv Sena (Shinde faction), Lok Janshakti Party, Samajwadi Krantikari Party, and CPM—signed the impeachment motion.
Prominent figures who signed the memorandum include Anurag Singh Thakur, Ravi Shankar Prasad, Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi, Rajiv Pratap Rudy, PP Chaudhary, Supriya Sule, and KC Venugopal.
Speaking to news agency ANI about the motion, BJP MP Ravi Shankar Prasad remarked, “This is a constitutional process. The conduct of an individual judge in terms of propriety is equally important for independence of the judiciary. We have filed our notice in this regard.”
#WATCH | On impeachment motion notice against Justice Varma, BJP MP RS Prasad says, "This is a constitutional process. The conduct of an individual judge in terms of propriety is equally important for independence of the judiciary. We have filed our notice in this regard." pic.twitter.com/zlmLC5FYSq
— ANI (@ANI) July 21, 2025
Rajya Sabha Chairman Initiates Process for Removal of High Court Judge Yashwant Varma
Meanwhile, Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar on Monday announced that he has received a notice for the removal of High Court Judge Yashwant Varma and has instructed the Secretary General to take the necessary steps. Addressing the Upper House, Dhankhar stated that the notice of motion was received under "article 217 (1B), read with article 218, and article 124, sub-article 4 of the Constitution of India, along with section 31B of the Judges Enquiry Act 1968, to constitute a committee for removal of Justice Varma."
"This (notice) has been received by me today. It has been signed by more than 50 members of the Council of States. Thus, it meets the numerical requirement of signing by members of Parliament for setting in motion the process of removal of a high court judge," Dhankhar confirmed, as per news agency PTI.
Dhankhar also referenced a previous notice submitted by MPs in December last year for the removal of Justice Shekhar Yadav of the Allahabad High Court. An inquiry into that matter revealed an irregularity, with one member's signature appearing twice on the notice and the member denying one of the signatures.
Elaborating on the earlier instance, Dhankhar said, "I examined that and found one member had signed at two places. The result was that the motion represented 55 signatures, but it was only 54." He added, "It was required of me to get to the bottom of the issue and find out whether the representation was meriting consideration. The process was initiated for verification of signatures and authentication. That process is under progress. I will get an update and come back to the House."
The Chairman stressed the importance of maintaining high standards in the House, stating, "I have already indicated to this august house on an earlier occasion that if the requisite number of members who verify their signatures and the number goes above 50 or more, I would proceed and deal with the issue of a signature that has been twice there not owned by the member in a different manner." He further emphasised, "This august house has to set very high standards. If we do not live up to the highest expectations of the people, then we will be putting things under the carpet and not subjecting them to deep investigation." Dhankhar concluded by saying, "I will discuss (the matter) with floor leaders what steps this House needs to take about such transgressions."
Opposition MPs had moved the impeachment notice against Justice Shekhar Yadav last December for allegedly delivering a hate speech at a gathering.
Regarding the recovery of cash in the House during the Winter Session in December last year, when a wad of currency notes was found from the seat of Congress MP Abhishek Manu Singhvi, Dhankhar expressed concern that no one has claimed the money. "I have asked the authorities to get into the matter seriously," he said. Singhvi had previously stated that the money did not belong to him.
Justice Yashwant Varma Impeachment: Removal Process Under Judicial Inquiry Act
As per constitutional provisions, a motion for the removal of a High Court judge requires the backing of at least 100 MPs in the Lok Sabha and 50 in the Rajya Sabha. Once a motion is admitted, the Speaker or Chairman must establish a three-member committee under the Judges Inquiry Act to investigate the allegations. This panel typically includes a senior Supreme Court judge, a current Chief Justice of a High Court, and a distinguished jurist.
The committee is expected to present its report within three months, which will then be laid before both Houses of Parliament for debate and voting.
Justice Yashwant Varma Cash Recovery Row
Justice Varma, who has denied all allegations, came under scrutiny after a fire incident in March led to the recovery of charred bundles of cash from a storeroom in his residence. A Supreme Court-appointed in-house committee later concluded that Justice Varma and his family exercised direct or indirect control over the area where the money was found. The panel deemed his conduct serious enough to warrant removal from office.
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