New Delhi, Aug 12 — Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla on Tuesday accepted a motion signed by 146 members of Parliament seeking the removal of Allahabad High Court judge Justice Yashwant Varma, and appointed a three-member panel to investigate the charges.
Announcing the decision when the House reconvened at noon after an adjournment, Birla said the motion would remain in abeyance until the panel submits its findings. “The committee will conduct an inquiry into the allegations against Justice Varma,” he told MPs.
The panel comprises Supreme Court judge Justice Aravind Kumar, Madras High Court Chief Justice Manindra Mohan Shrivastava, and former Karnataka High Court judge B. V. Acharya. The inquiry is linked to allegations over the recovery of cash from Justice Varma’s residence.
Lawmakers from across the political spectrum signed the motion, moved under Articles 124, 217, and 218 of the Constitution. The signatories include BJP leaders Anurag Singh Thakur, Ravi Shankar Prasad, and Rajiv Pratap Rudy; Congress MP and Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi; Supriya Sule of NCP (SP); as well as members from the TDP, JDU, JD(S), Jan Sena Party, AGP, Shiv Sena (Shinde faction) and CPM.
The impeachment move began on July 21, the opening day of the Monsoon Session, when several MPs submitted a memorandum to the Speaker. “Parliament has acted within its constitutional duty,” an MP said after the announcement. “Now the process must be allowed to run its course.”
