The impeachment proceedings have commenced in Parliament to remove Justice Yashwant Verma from office amid allegations of misconduct following the discovery of unaccounted cash at his residence. High Court judge Verma is facing these allegations after an incident involving a significant amount of cash. On the Monsoon session's first day, 152 Lok Sabha members endorsed the impeachment motion against Justice Verma. Additionally, 54 members of the Rajya Sabha supported the proposal against the High Court judge.
After the memorandum was submitted by MPs to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla and Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar, further steps for proceeding with the impeachment against Justice Verma have been initiated. This motion, filed under Articles 124, 217, and 218 of the Constitution, received backing from MPs across various parties, including BJP, Congress, TDP, JDU, and CPM. Notable signatories included Anurag Thakur, Ravi Shankar Prasad, Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi, Rajiv Pratap Rudy, Supriya Sule, KC Venugopal, and PP Chaudhary.
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In the upper house, Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar stated that he received a proposal requesting the removal of Justice Verma, signed by over 50 Rajya Sabha MPs. Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar stated that the notice for initiating the removal process of a High Court judge had crossed the required number of MPs. He mentioned that if a motion is presented in one house, the presiding officer has the authority to accept or reject it. However, if the motion appears in both houses simultaneously, it becomes the property of the house.
Sufficient Support for Proposal in Both Houses of Parliament
Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar mentioned the formation of a three-member committee comprising the Chief Justice, a High Court Chief Justice, and a member. The speaker or chairman can make a decision on the motion based on this committee's report. Chairman Dhankhar asked the Rajya Sabha Secretary General to confirm whether the motion had also reached the Lok Sabha. Union Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal confirmed that Lok Sabha members had submitted the motion to the Speaker.
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Following confirmation, the Rajya Sabha Chairman instructed the Secretary General to take necessary steps to advance the impeachment process. Dhankhar noted that he received 55 signatures on the motion, though the number of signing members was only 54. A confirmation will be made regarding any member who signed twice, and the duplicate signature will be invalidated. According to the Constitution, for the removal of a Supreme or High Court judge, a proposal signed by at least 100 Lok Sabha or 50 Rajya Sabha MPs needs to be passed, and it's up to the speaker or chairman to accept the proposal.
Burnt Notes Discovered at Justice Yashwant Verma's Residence
Allegations of misconduct against Justice Yashwant Verma arose after numerous charred notes were found at his government residence in Delhi post a fire on March 15. At that time, he was a judge at the Delhi High Court. Following the cash scandal, the Supreme Court transferred Justice Verma to the Allahabad High Court. As the impeachment motion is brought forward, Parliament is set to investigate the case. Justice Verma has denied any involvement in misconduct.
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Supreme Court Investigation Panel Finds Case Serious
However, a three-member investigative panel appointed by the Supreme Court found that Justice Verma and his family maintained active control over the store room in the government residence where the burnt notes were found. The panel concluded that the misconduct was serious enough to warrant his removal from office. Justice Yashwant Verma has challenged the impeachment motion against him in the Supreme Court, arguing that the investigation committee failed to consider significant facts and violated his rights as an individual and a constitutional officer. This incident has sparked widespread concerns about corruption in the judiciary.
