Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar on Monday informed the Upper House that he had received a notice seeking the removal of Justice Yashwant Varma, currently of the Allahabad High Court, over allegations linked to a cash recovery case.
The motion, Dhankhar said, had been signed by more than 50 members of the Council of States, thereby satisfying the constitutional threshold to initiate the removal process of a High Court judge.
“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 told the House.
He added that the notice had been moved under Article 217 (1B) read with Articles 218 and 124(4) of the Constitution, alongside Section 31B of the Judges (Inquiry) Act, 1968. The Secretary General of the House has been asked to initiate necessary procedural steps.
Justice Varma was transferred to the Allahabad High Court after burnt currency notes were discovered at his official residence in Delhi in March this year, triggering calls for accountability and transparency.
Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal also confirmed that a similar motion had been submitted in the Lok Sabha.
Dhankhar, drawing the House's attention to a similar instance from last December, referred to a notice moved against Justice Shekhar Yadav, also of the Allahabad High Court. In that case, he said, one MP had been found to have signed the motion twice.
Also read: 145 MPs seek Justice Varma's removal over cash row
“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 said.
He noted that the process of signature verification was underway. “I will get an update and come back to the House,” Dhankhar said. “If the requisite number of members verify their signatures and the number goes above 50, I will proceed and deal with the issue of the signature that has been twice there and not owned by the member in a different manner.”
He further stated he would consult floor leaders to determine what action ought to be taken regarding such transgressions in parliamentary conduct.
The notice against Justice Shekhar Yadav was submitted by Opposition members following his alleged hate speech at a public gathering.
Referring to another matter from the previous winter session, Dhankhar recalled the unexplained recovery of cash from a Rajya Sabha seat, identified later as belonging to Congress MP Abhishek Manu Singhvi.
“It is concerning that no one has claimed it. I have asked the authorities to get into the matter seriously,” he said. Singhvi had maintained the money did not belong to him.
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