Cash-at-home row: Rijiju says ‘signatures' to impeach Justice Varma to be collected soon; govt eyes motion in Monsoon session
Kiren Rijiju
told reporters on Thursday, according to PTI.
Prominent opposition parties have reportedly given their in-principle approval to support the move, signalling rare bipartisan agreement on the matter.
'We are yet to decide whether the motion will be brought in the Lok Sabha or the Rajya Sabha,' Rijiju said, noting that the requisite number of signatures—100 MPs for the Lok Sabha and 50 for the Rajya Sabha—would be collected once that decision is made. The government aims to table the motion during the Monsoon Session, which runs from July 21 to August 21.
Justice Varma came under scrutiny following a fire incident in March this year at his official residence in Delhi, then assigned to the Delhi high court. The blaze led to the discovery of several burnt sacks filled with large amounts of cash. He was subsequently repatriated to his parent cadre in the Allahabad High Court, where he has not been assigned any judicial work.
According to PTI, then Chief Justice of India Sanjiv Khanna had recommended Varma's removal in a letter addressed to the President and Prime Minister after the inquiry panel submitted its report on May 4.
The same report, however, is yet to be made public.
In an earlier PTI report, several MPs raised pointed questions during a parliamentary committee meeting about why no FIR had been filed over the cash recovery and demanded swift government action. Some called for a strict judicial code of conduct, including a five-year "cooling-off" period before judges can accept post-retirement assignments. Others cited the Veeraswami vs Union of India judgment, which held that prior sanction is required to prosecute sitting judges under anti-corruption laws.
Parliamentary Affairs Minister Rijiju said the government was keen to ensure a united political front. 'This involves corruption in the judiciary. We want all parties to be on board,' he said.
Only two impeachment motions have ever been initiated against judges in India—against Justice V. Ramaswami in 1993 and Justice Soumitra Sen in 2011. Neither resulted in removal. The Centre now appears set to attempt the third.
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