The Constitutional Process for Removal of a High Court Judge

The Constitutional Process for Removal of a High Court Judge

The Lok Sabha is scheduled to take up a bipartisan motion to remove Justice Yashwant Varma from the Allahabad High Court.  The move for removal follows a controversy from March 14, when half-burnt currency notes were discovered at Justice Varma's official residence in Delhi (when he was a judge of the Delhi High Court). He was subsequently transferred to the Allahabad High Court.  Political Consensus: Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju stated that the motion has broad support, with 152 Members of Parliament (MPs) from both the ruling party and the opposition signing it.  Procedural Steps:  The proceedings will follow the Judges (Inquiry) Act, 1968. The motion will be initiated in the Lok Sabha first. Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla is expected to appoint a three-member inquiry committee to investigate the charges against the judge. This committee will comprise a Supreme Court judge (or the Chief Justice of India), a Chief Justice of a High Court, and a distinguished jurist. Rajya Sab…