Bringing motion to remove Justice Varma matter of MPs, govt not in picture: Arjun Ram Meghwal

New Delhi: Union Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal said on Friday that bringing an impeachment motion in Parliament against Allahabad High Court judge Yashwant Varma is entirely a matter of the MPs and the government is nowhere in the picture. In an interview, Meghwal pointed out that the in-house committee set up by then chief justice of India (CJI) Sanjiv Khanna to look into the allegations against Justice Varma, arising from a cash-discovery row, has already submitted its report. If Justice Varma does not agree with the report and approaches the Supreme Court or a high court, it is his prerogative, the minister said. He said Parliament has the right to remove a Supreme Court or high court judge.

The support of at least 100 members in the Lok Sabha and 50 in the Rajya Sabha is needed to pass a motion for the impeachment of a judge, he added. Meghwal said this is entirely a matter of the MPs, some efforts have been made by them and the government is not in the picture. Meanwhile, Justice Varma has moved the Supreme Court, seeking to invalidate the report of the in-house inquiry panel, which has found him guilty of misconduct in the cash-discovery row. Varma has sought the quashing of the May 8 recommendation by then CJI Khanna to remove him from his position.

The government is pushing for a motion to remove Justice Varma in Parliament's Monsoon session that is scheduled to start from July 21. Congress leader Jairam Ramesh has said the MPs of his party will also sign the motion. The 25-page inquiry report of Delhi High Court Chief Justice D K Upadhyaya, uploaded on the Supreme Court's website, contains two short notes in Hindi that mention that after a fire at the storeroom of Justice Varma's Lutyens' Delhi residence on March 14 was doused, four to five half-burnt sacks containing currency notes were found. The report said prima facie, it seemed that a short-circuit had led to the fire. Justice Varma, who was a judge of the Delhi High Court then, had, in his response, strongly denounced the allegations and said no cash was ever placed in the storeroom either by him or any of his family members.

He has been since been transferred to the Allahabad High Court but no judicial work has been assigned to him. Meghwal, who is also the minister of state for parliamentary affairs, said he hopes that the Monsoon session of Parliament, which is scheduled to conclude on August 21, will run smoothly and there will be meaningful discussions. He said before the session commences, there will be a meeting of prominent leaders from various political parties on July 20, where they will put forth their issues. Then the Business Advisory Committee (BAC) will meet on the first day of the session, where the business of the House will be decided, the minister added.

"I think the Monsoon session should run smoothly," he said. On the opposition's charge that the BJP-led Centre is trying to alter the basic structure of the Constitution, the law minister said, "Narendra Modi has been the prime minister for 11 years.... When did the government try to disturb the basic structure of the Constitution? When the Congress was in power, during Emergency, it had changed the entire Constitution. What was the 42nd Amendment? It is the Congress that has worked to tinker with the Constitution." Responding to a question on the implementation of a uniform civil code (UCC) across the country, he said Goa was the first state to implement a UCC, followed by Uttarakhand and added that other states are also making efforts in this direction. "The matter is pending before the Law Commission of India, we will talk about it once the commission's report comes," Meghwal said. On a question regarding a language dispute in some states, he said the National Education Policy (NEP), 2020 is completely clear in itself. "We respect all Indian languages and will continue to do so. We will strengthen all Indian languages and this is a part of the NEP.