Oppn on board, HC judge removal to begin: Centre

Union parliamentary affairs minister Kiren Rijiju on Thursday said the government will soon begin collecting the signatures of lawmakers to initiate the process of justice Yashwant Varma's removal in the monsoon session that begins July 21. The government is yet to decide which House the motion will be moved in.

- Smriti Kak Ramachandran

The minister said once the motion of removal with the requisite signatures is tabled either in the Lok Sabha or the Rajya Sabha, the Speaker or the chairman, will constitute a committee to examine the charges of corruption against the sitting high court judge, which have been corroborated by a Supreme Court appointed committee.

"I have spoken to prominent opposition parties who have in principle agreed for his removal. We will follow the laid down procedure (for the process). The government wants matters related to judiciary to be beyond political lines and there should be consensus," he added. "We will start the process of seeking signatures for the motion of removal. Once that is done, we will decide which house to submit it in," Rijiju said.

For the removal of a sitting judge, the motion requires the signatures of 100 MPs in the Lok Sabha and 50 in the Rajya Sabha. For the motion to pass, it has to garner the support of a two-thirds majority of the members in each House. This means that a successful impeachment motion will need multiparty support.