Impeachment cloud over Justice Varma: Govt seeks cross-party backing ahead of parliament Monsoon session

In a rare and politically sensitive move, the Centre has initiated outreach to Opposition parties to build consensus for the impeachment of Justice Yashwant Varma, a former Delhi High Court judge now posted to the Allahabad High Court, ahead of the Monsoon Session of Parliament.

Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju said that the government has begun consultations with key political players. “It’s not a political issue—it’s about upholding the integrity of the judiciary. We’re aiming for consensus,” he said.

The motion stems from findings of a Supreme Court-appointed committee that confirmed allegations of serious misconduct against Justice Varma. On May 3, the panel noted credible evidence of large sums of unexplained cash found at his official residence after a fire broke out there on March 14. Despite the scandal, Justice Varma was merely transferred — first stripped of duties, then posted to the Allahabad High Court, where he remains unassigned.

Top government officials, including Home Minister Amit Shah, Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal and Prime Minister Narendra Modi, met June 3 to finalize the impeachment strategy. Later that day, Rijiju reached out to several Opposition leaders, including Congress MP Jairam Ramesh.

Sources in the Congress indicated that the party is unlikely to oppose the motion. In fact, it has urged the government to convene a special session of Parliament to expedite proceedings and to introduce broader mechanisms for judicial accountability. This stance echoes a resolution passed at the AICC session in April, which called for institutional safeguards that balance independence with transparency in the judiciary.

The impeachment motion is likely to be formally introduced by Law Minister Meghwal, based on the Supreme Court panel’s report. That committee was led by Justice Sheel Nagu (Punjab & Haryana High Court Chief Justice), Justice G S Sandhawalia (Himachal Pradesh Chief Justice), and Justice Anu Sivaraman (Karnataka High Court), and was appointed by then CJI Sanjiv Khanna.

Justice Varma was reportedly asked to resign but refused. He was transferred on March 20 and took oath in Allahabad on April 5. Since then, he has not been given any judicial responsibilities.