Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju has said that leaders from all major political parties agree on removing Justice Yashwant Varma after sacks of charred cash were discovered at his official residence earlier this year.
The shocking incident occurred in March when officials found partially burnt currency notes in the judge’s outhouse in Lutyens’ Delhi. Justice Varma was then serving at the Delhi High Court. He was later transferred to the Allahabad High Court, though no judicial duties were assigned to him.
Following the discovery, the government reportedly asked him to resign, but he refused. As a result, MPs sent a formal recommendation for impeachment to the Union government.
Rijiju Says All Parties Support the Move
In an interview with PTI, Rijiju said, “I have spoken to all the senior leaders of different political parties. I will also get in touch with some of the single-MP parties because I do not want to leave out any member. So it becomes a unified stand of the Parliament of India.”
He clarified that the impeachment effort is not led by the government alone but by MPs from across party lines. Even members of the Congress party have backed the removal.
“I am happy that they understood things as they should be, because no party can be seen to be standing with a corrupt judge or protecting a corrupt judge,” he added.
‘Judicial Corruption Is a Grave Concern’
Rijiju called judicial corruption a deeply serious issue. He said, “Corruption in the judiciary is an extremely sensitive and serious matter, because the judiciary is where people get justice. If there is corruption in the judiciary, it is a serious concern for everybody.”
He further emphasised that the issue must not become political. “When it comes to corruption in the judiciary, we have to stand together. There cannot be any partisan attitude and it should not be made a political issue.”
Process to Remove a Judge
Rijiju explained that impeaching a judge requires at least 100 MPs from the Lok Sabha or 50 from the Rajya Sabha to sign a petition. The petition is then submitted to the Speaker or Chairman, who formally informs the House and triggers an investigation under the Judges Inquiry Act.
The process involves a three-month probe, after which Parliament debates and votes on the findings.
Inquiry Panel Found Serious Misconduct
After the fire in Justice Varma’s home, an in-house committee led by then Chief Justice of India Sanjeev Khanna launched an inquiry. The investigation concluded that Justice Varma and his family either directly or indirectly controlled the outhouse where the cash was found.
The panel declared the misconduct serious enough to justify his removal.
Although Justice Varma denied wrongdoing, the panel’s findings contradicted his claims.
Rijiju Responds to Kapil Sibal’s Remarks
Former law minister Kapil Sibal recently questioned the impeachment move and compared Justice Varma to Justice Shekhar Yadav, who had stirred controversy with a statement.
Rijiju strongly pushed back, saying, “We will not be driven by one lawyer-MP’s agenda. We are not here to set an agenda or drive an agenda. We are working purely in the interest of the country.”
Calling Sibal “a very average lawyer,” Rijiju added, “He cannot guide the Parliament of India. The Parliament of India will be guided by all the members of Parliament.”
He concluded by saying that many MPs today “have gone far beyond him in terms of understanding, intellectual capability and knowledge of law.”
