New Delhi, August 12 (HS): In a rare and significant step in India’s parliamentary history, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla on Tuesday admitted a motion to initiate impeachment proceedings against Justice Yashwant Varma of the Allahabad High Court over serious allegations of corruption. The move paves the way for a formal judicial inquiry under constitutional procedure.

Announcing the decision in the House after tabling necessary documents this afternoon, Speaker Birla informed members that the motion—submitted on July 21—was backed by 146 MPs from both the treasury and opposition benches. The signatories include senior BJP leader Ravi Shankar Prasad and Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi.

The motion, filed under Articles 124(4), 217, and 218 of the Constitution of India, seeks the removal of Justice Varma from office through a formal address to the President of India. It cites “serious charges” against the judge, warranting an independent and thorough probe.

To conduct the investigation, Speaker Birla announced the formation of a three-member inquiry committee under the Judges (Inquiry) Act, 1968, comprising:

- Justice Aravind Kumar – Judge, Supreme Court of India

- Justice Manindra Mohan Shrivastava – Chief Justice, Madras High Court

- B. V. Acharya – Senior Advocate, Karnataka High Court and eminent jurist

The Speaker emphasized that no further action on the motion will be taken until the inquiry committee submits its report.

This development marks a notable assertion of parliamentary oversight over the higher judiciary, underscoring the gravity of the allegations and the constitutional safeguards in place for judicial accountability. With impeachment of a sitting High Court judge being an exceedingly rare process in India, all eyes will now be on the committee’s findings in the coming months.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar