Justice Yashwant Verma Impeachment: Vice President Dhankhar’s Sudden Resignation Shocks Parliament
In a political twist that stunned everyone in New Delhi, Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar on Monday accepted the Opposition’s proposal in the Rajya Sabha to initiate impeachment proceedings against Justice Yashwant Verma. This decision came after a huge amount of cash was recovered from the judge’s house a few months ago after a firefighting incident.
Even more surprising was that on the same night, Dhankhar suddenly resigned from the post of Vice President. He sent a letter to the President citing health reasons and medical advice.
What happened on the impeachment motion?
On Monday, during Rajya Sabha proceedings, Dhankhar announced that he has received an official Notice of Motion seeking impeachment of Justice Yashwant Verma. This notice has the signatures of more than 50 Rajya Sabha MPs, which fulfills the constitutional requirement.
Dhankhar directed the Secretary-General to initiate the necessary legal steps for the impeachment process. Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal also informed that a similar resolution has been given to the Speaker by 152 Lok Sabha MPs.
This means that now under Section 3(2) of the Judges (Inquiry) Act, a statutory committee will be formed which will investigate the conduct of the judge.
Government did not know?
According to sources, government had no information about this motion beforehand. If the ruling party had known beforehand, their MPs could also have signed the proposal. The opposition had planned this move strategically and it was directly sent to the Rajya Sabha chairman.
Vice President’s Resignation – Timing increased suspense
Vice President Dhankhar’s resignation came just hours after he accepted the impeachment notice. This has raised many questions in the political corridors. In the official letter, he gave the reason for his resignation as “health concerns”, but looking at the timing, there is a lot of speculation in political circles.
Now since the post of Vice President has fallen vacant, according to the Constitution, a new election must be held within 60 days. Election Commission of India will soon announce the dates in this regard.
Sources clarified that this entire process does not fall under the jurisdiction of the government. When the election will be held, it completely depends on the discretion of the Election Commission.
What will happen next?
The process of impeachment motion against Justice Yashwant Verma is quite complex. The Statutory Committee will first investigate. If the Committee finds guilty, then a resolution for removal should be passed by 2/3rd majority in both the Houses (Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha).
This pure matter has opened a new debate in the political landscape — is accountability increasing on the judiciary or is it again a part of political vendetta?
Conclusion
The sudden Justice Yashwant Verma impeachment motion and the immediate resignation of Vice President Dhankhar, both can prove to be a turning point for national politics. Now all eyes are on the Election Commission and the statutory committee which will conduct an impartial investigation of justice.
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