New Delhi: In a significant development during the ongoing Monsoon Session of Parliament, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla on Tuesday accepted an impeachment motion signed by 146 Members of Parliament for the removal of Justice Yashwant Varma of the Allahabad High Court. The motion, however, will remain in abeyance until the completion of a probe by a newly formed committee.
Announcing the decision in the House after it reassembled at 12 pm following an initial adjournment, Speaker Birla said a three-member panel has been set up to investigate allegations against Justice Varma. The panel includes:
- Justice Aravind Kumar – Judge of the Supreme Court of India
- Justice Manindra Mohan Shrivastava – Chief Justice of the Madras High Court
- B. V. Acharya – Senior jurist and former Advocate General of Karnataka
The committee will probe serious charges, including the alleged recovery of cash from the residence of Justice Varma.
Broad Political Support for Motion
The impeachment motion saw rare political unanimity, with MPs from multiple parties signing the memorandum under Articles 124, 217, and 218 of the Constitution of India. The signatories include leaders from BJP, Congress, TDP, JDU, JD(S), Jan Sena Party, AGP, Shiv Sena (Shinde faction), and CPM.
Notable names in the motion include Anurag Singh Thakur, Ravi Shankar Prasad, Rajiv Pratap Rudy from BJP, Rahul Gandhi from Congress, and Supriya Sule from NCP (Sharad Pawar faction).
On July 21, the opening day of the Monsoon Session, several MPs submitted a formal memorandum to the Lok Sabha Speaker seeking Justice Varma’s removal over alleged misconduct.
#WATCH | Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla accepts motion signed by 146 MPs for impeachment of Justice Yashwant Verma. Speaker Om Birla announces a 3-member panel to probe allegations against High Court judge Justice Yashwant Varma.
— ANI (@ANI) August 12, 2025
(Source: Sansad TV) pic.twitter.com/bGksFq2Kkq
Next Steps in the Process
The motion for impeachment will be considered only after the committee submits its findings. As per constitutional procedure, if the panel’s report upholds the charges, both Houses of Parliament will need to pass the motion with a special majority before the President of India can issue an order for removal.
This development marks one of the rare occasions in Indian parliamentary history where such an impeachment motion against a sitting High Court judge has been formally admitted and taken forward for inquiry