The Indian government will bring an impeachment motion against Justice Yashwant Varma in Parliament’s next session and will seek to build an all-party consensus for action against the Allahabad High Court judge embroiled in a case of suspected corruption.
Government sources said that Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju will be speaking to leaders of different parties to get them on board for the impeachment motion against the judge following his indictment by a three-member committee constituted by the then Chief Justice of India Sanjiv Khanna.
A fire incident at Varma’s residence in the national capital in March this year when he was a judge at the Delhi High Court had led to the discovery of sacks of cash in the outhouse.
The Supreme Court-appointed committee said that he only gave a “flat denial” and alleged conspiracy against him.
“The factum of the burnt cash having been found in the store room was undeniably established and, therefore, the burden shifted upon Justice Varma to account for the said cash by giving a plausible explanation which he failed to do except projecting a case of flat denial and raising a plea of conspiracy,” the report said.
The report, details of which were accessed by India Today, said several stacks of burnt notes, reportedly as high as 1.5 feet, were found scattered across the storeroom of Justice Varma’s Delhi residence.
The cash pile was discovered at the judge’s official residence when a fire broke out there on March 14. Justice Varma was not at his residence then. Subsequently, the Supreme Court transferred him from the Delhi High Court to the Allahabad High Court, but he has not been assigned work.
