Union Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal on Friday clarified that Parliament has a constitutional right to remove the Supreme Court or High Court judge, the process of starting such a proposal lies in the hands of members of Parliament. His comment is amid the increasing focus on the possible impeachment of Yashwant Verma on alleged misconduct in a cash-related dispute.
In an interview PTIMeghwal stressed that the government has no role in bringing impeachment motion and any such step should be led independently by MPs. “It’s a matter of full MPs. The government is not in the picture,” he said.
In the dispute, former Delhi High Court Judge Justice Yashwant Verma and currently surrounded the Allahabad High Court, who challenged the findings of an in-house inquiry panel, who concluded that he was guilty of misconduct. The panel was formed by the then Chief Justice (CJI) Sanjeev Khanna and presented its report in May under the leadership of Chief Justice of Delhi High Court DK Upadhyay.
According to a 25-hit report made public on the official website of the Supreme Court, after the fire incident on 14 March, partly burnt sacks were discovered at the residence of Lootians Delhi, after the fire incident, which was allegedly caused by a short-circuit. Justice Verma has denied all the allegations, neither claimed that neither he nor any family member has stored cash on the site.
The former judge has now demanded the Supreme Court to invalve the report of the Investigation Committee and remove the recommendation by the then CG Khanna.
Under the Indian Constitution, a proposal for impeachment to a judge requires at least 100 Lok Sabha members or 50 Rajya Sabha members support. While Meghwal reiterated that this process is strictly legislative in nature, he confirmed that some MPs have shown interest in starting speed.
The matter is likely to gain momentum in the upcoming monsoon session of Parliament, which starts from July 21. Congress leader Jeram Ramesh has already announced that his party’s MPs will support the proposal.
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