Opposition leaders are renewing their demand to impeach Justice Shekhar Yadav over a controversial speech. At the same time, they’re supporting the government’s move to remove Justice Yashwant Varma for alleged corruption.
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NEW DELHI: In the upcoming monsoon session of Parliament starting July 21, leaders from the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) plan to once again push for the impeachment of Allahabad High Court’s Justice Shekhar Kumar Yadav.
This demand comes even as many of them support the government’s likely move to remove another judge, Justice Yashwant Varma of the Delhi High Court, who is facing serious allegations of corruption.
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On December 13, 2024, 55 MPs from the Opposition submitted a formal impeachment notice in the Rajya Sabha against Justice Shekhar Yadav. This was in response to a speech he gave at a Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) event, which many felt targeted a particular religious group. However, after this notice, there has been no action from the Rajya Sabha or the government.
Even though the Supreme Court was preparing to conduct an internal inquiry into Justice Yadav’s speech, they later dropped the plan. The reason was a letter from the Rajya Sabha secretariat in March 2025, which stated that only Parliament and the President had the authority to deal with such matters once an impeachment notice is filed.
Still, nothing has moved forward.
The government has not shown any support for Justice Yadav’s removal. A senior official mentioned that, unlike Justice Yashwant Varma, Justice Yadav is not accused of corruption or misuse of public money.
He also said that Justice Yadav had apologised to the Supreme Court for his controversial comments.
“We submitted an impeachment motion against justice Shekhar Yadav of Allahabad high court in December 2024. Nothing has happened. We want the government to act on it. The Rajya Sabha Chairman (Jagdeep Dhankhar) is still sitting on it,”
-Congress MP and Rajya Sabha chief whip Jairam Ramesh told Hindustan Times.
“55 MPs signed the notice. The government seems busy with the impeachment process of justice Verma. But why is it not acting against justice Yadav?”
-he further questioned.
Before the Parliament session begins, Opposition leaders will meet to decide their strategy, Ramesh confirmed.
When asked whether he still supports raising the issue, Trinamool Congress MP Saket Gokhale, one of the 55 signatories, replied by text:
“Why would I have signed something that I don’t want taken up?”
Another Trinamool MP added:
“Kapil Sibal is leading the motion. We are completely with him.”
A senior leader from the INDIA bloc said:
“Our notice is pending before the Rajya Sabha for seven months.”
He demanded that the government clarify its silence on the matter.
Justice Shekhar Yadav was appointed in 2019 and is expected to retire in April 2026.
Meanwhile, Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju recently stated that the government will start collecting signatures in the monsoon session to initiate the process of Justice Yashwant Varma’s impeachment.
ALSO READ: Who is Hon’ble Justice Shekhar Yadav and His History of Making Controversial Remarks
Allegations against Justice Varma include the discovery of large sums of cash at his home, leading many to believe the government is more serious about that case.
Rijiju said opposition parties had “in principle” agreed to support the impeachment of Justice Varma.
To remove a sitting judge, at least 100 MPs from the Lok Sabha and 50 from the Rajya Sabha must sign the motion. For the motion to pass, it must get a majority of the total House membership and also two-thirds of the members present and voting. This means support from several political parties is essential.
The speech by Justice Yadav that sparked controversy was delivered on December 8, 2024, at a VHP event in Prayagraj. He reportedly made comments against the Muslim community and referred to themes seen as promoting majority dominance.
This led to widespread criticism from legal experts, civil society, and political parties. Kapil Sibal then led 55 MPs in filing the impeachment notice, accusing him of a “grave violation of judicial ethics.”
Following this, the Supreme Court asked for a report from the Chief Justice of the Allahabad High Court on December 10, 2024. Then, on December 17, Justice Yadav was called for a private meeting with top judges of the Supreme Court collegium, including CJI Khanna and justices Bhushan R Gavai, Surya Kant, Hrishikesh Roy, and Abhay S Oka.
Justice Yadav reportedly told the collegium he would issue a public apology. But that apology never came. Instead, in January 2025, he wrote a letter to the Allahabad High Court’s chief justice, claiming his comments were misunderstood and insisting that his speech was misrepresented by vested interests and only reflected “societal concerns.”
In March 2025, the Rajya Sabha secretariat informed the Supreme Court that the matter of Justice Yadav was already under its consideration, and that, under the Constitution, only Parliament and the President have the authority to proceed with such matters once a formal impeachment notice is submitted.
Meanwhile, the case against Justice Varma has progressed much faster. Earlier this year, former Chief Justice of India Khanna wrote to President Droupadi Murmu and Prime Minister Narendra Modi about the serious allegations involving large sums of cash found at the judge’s residence.
ALSO READ: Notable Judgments by Justice Yashwant Varma: Delhi High Court
On May 5, an internal committee confirmed the presence of the cash. It had been found after a fire broke out on March 14 at the residence of Justice Varma. Firefighters and police, while putting out the fire, discovered burnt and half-burnt currency notes stored in a sack in a storeroom. A video of the cash was even recorded by the police.
As the monsoon session nears, the INDIA bloc plans to raise the question of why the government is willing to move forward with removing one judge but is ignoring another who has allegedly breached judicial ethics.
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