Lok Sabha Speaker accepts impeachment motion against Justice Varma, forms probe panel

Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla on Tuesday accepted the motion signed by 146 MPs for impeachment of Justice Yashwant Varma of the Allahabad High Court.

Addressing the House as it re-assembled at noon after an initial adjournment, Birla announced a three-member panel to probe the allegations against Justice Varma.

The motion for impeachment will be kept in abeyance till the committee submits its report, the Speaker informed the House.

Supreme Court judge Aravind Kumar, Madras High Court Chief Justice Manindra Mohan Shrivastava and jurist BV Acharya of the Karnataka High Court will probe the charges against Justice Varma.

On July 21, the first day of the Monsoon session, several members of Parliament submitted a memorandum to Birla seeking removal of Justice Varma.

A total of 146 Lok Sabha members had signed the impeachment motion against Justice Varma under Articles 124, 217, and 218 of the Constitution.

MPs from various parties, including the BJP, Congress, TDP, JDU, JD(S), Jan Sena Party, AGP, Shiv Sena (Shinde) and CPM, have signed the memorandum.

The signatories of the memorandum include BJP MPs Anurag Singh Thakur, Ravi Shankar Prasad and Rajiv Pratap Rudy, Congress MP and Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi and Supriya Sule of NCP (SP), among others.

The probe panel formed by the Lok Sabha Speaker will inquire into the matter related to the recovery of cash at the residence of Justice Varma.