Last week, Rijiju underlined the government’s resolve to take all political parties on board in moving the impeachment motion against Justice Varma, saying corruption in the judiciary cannot be approached through a “political prism.”He said the government wants the exercise to be a “collaborative effort.”According to the Judges (Inquiry) Act of 1968, once a motion to remove a judge is admitted in any of the Houses, the speaker or the chairman, as the case may be, will constitute a three-member committee to investigate the grounds on which the removal (or, in popular term, impeachment) has been sought. The committee consists of the chief justice of India (CJI) or a Supreme Court judge, the chief justice of one of the 25 high courts and a ” distinguished jurist.”Rijiju, however, has said the present case is “slightly different” as an in-house committee formed by former CJI Sanjiv Khanna has already submitted its report.”So what is to be done in this matter, we will take a call,” he said earlier.The minister had said the process has to be followed, but how to “integrate the inquiry already conducted” needs to be decided.Following the Supreme Court’s in-house inquiry, former CJI Sanjeev Khanna is believed to have prodded Varma to resign but he dug in his heels.The apex court has since transferred him to his parent cadre, the Allahabad High Court, where he has not been assigned any judicial work.Former CJI Khanna had written to the president and the prime minister, recommending Justice Varma’s impeachment.
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