The Lok Sabha has formally begun the process for the removal of Allahabad High Court judge, Justice Yashwant Varma. Speaker Om Birla has admitted a motion signed by 146 Members of Parliament and has constituted a three-member panel to investigate "serious" allegations against the judge.
The move follows an in-house inquiry into the alleged discovery of unaccounted cash at Justice Varma's official residence in New Delhi after a fire in March of this year. The Speaker announced in the house that given the serious nature of the charges, the process for removal should begin.
The high-level inquiry committee will be composed of:
This committee is tasked with probing the allegations and submitting its report as early as possible.
The impeachment motion comes after the Supreme Court recently dismissed a petition from Justice Varma challenging the internal inquiry against him. He had argued that the in-house mechanism was an "extra-constitutional" process.
With the Speaker's announcement, the motion for the judge's removal will now remain pending until the inquiry committee submits its findings. The formation of the panel marks a significant and formal step in the constitutional process of judicial impeachment.
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