Report on Justice Varma to be tabled during Parliament's monsoon session from July 20

LOk Sabha utterer Om Birla testament tabularise the jurists’ cover on the charges against Allahabad heights court judge Yashwant Varma during the upcoming monsoon session of Parliament, which will run from July 20 to August 13.Parliamentary affairs minister Kiren Rijiju announced the schedule on Saturday, tweeting: “On the recommendation of the government of India, Honourable President Droupadi Murmu has approved the summoning of both the Houses of Parliament for the Monsoon Session 2026.”“The session will commence on July 20, 2026 and continue till August 13, 2026 for meaningful debate, discussion and decisions on issues of national importance,” he added.A stormy session is expected as the Opposition, led by leader of opposition Rahul Gandhi, is set to raise the donation theft in Ram Mandir, demand the resignation of education minister Dharmendra Pradhan over question paper leaks and alleged exam irregularities, according to two senior Opposition leaders, who asked not to be named.The Opposition is also set to raise its allegations of “vote theft” and the role of the Election Commission during the session. Twenty-four Opposition parties have written to Chief Justice of India Surya Kant over poll malpractices and the alleged bias of the Election Commission.In the run-up to the session, the Speaker’s decision is also expected on two appeals for mergers: 20 rebel Trinamool Congress MPs want to join the Nationalist Citizens Party of India (NCPI), while six Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) lawmakers are keen to merge with the Shiv Sena faction led by Eknath Shinde. With the DMK out of the INDIA bloc, the ruling NDA can inch closer to the two-thirds majority mark if the Speaker approves the proposals.Talking to select media at the historical Town Hall on Saturday, Birla said: “I will table the report on justice Varma in the House during the session. Many parties want it to be tabled. It is a sealed report.”Birla stated that pushing for further action on the report was not his responsibility. “The motion to impeach justice Varma was moved by many parties. Political parties can discuss among themselves to take a call”.According to two officials, the House can take up the impeachment proceedings against justice Varma if there is a political consensus among the parties.The tabling of the report assumes importance as justice Varma’s resignation has not been accepted by President Droupadi Murmu, and he is still listed as a judge on the portal of the Allahabad high court.A senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) lawmaker pointed out that if the report is submitted to the House, it is up to the lawmakers to decide the next course of action. “The judge can still be impeached as his resignation has not been accepted yet,” the leader said.A controversy erupted in March 2025 when a stash of cash was discovered after a fire broke out at the residence of justice Varma, then a judge of the Delhi high court. The cash discovery row led to several steps, including a preliminary inquiry by Delhi high court chief justice DK Upadhyaya, the removal of judicial work from justice Verma in the Delhi high court, and later his transfer to his parent court, the Allahabad high court, without judicial work.In July 2011, justice PD Dinakaran of the Sikkim high court tendered his resignation while facing impeachment proceedings. Following his resignation, then vice president Hamid Ansari dissolved the three-member committee that probed corruption charges against him. Birla received the report on Verma from the three-member panel on May 18.While the government is yet to publish the list of its legislative business for the upcoming monsoon session — having omitted it during the budget session as well — Rijiju has indicated that the constitution amendment bill to automatically remove ministers jailed for heinous crimes is high on the agenda.The joint committee reviewing the constitution amendment bill and its two supplementary pieces of legislation is set to adopt its report on July 17, three days before the House reassembles for the monsoon session. BJP lawmaker and panel chairperson Aparajita Sarangi told members that the draft report would be circulated on July 10.The government will also have to replace the Supreme Court (Number of Judges) Amendment Ordinance, 2026, with a bill to increase the number of Supreme Court judges to 37. Another piece of legislation, the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Amendment Bill, 2026, which was introduced in the Lok Sabha on March 25, 2026, during the budget session, might be taken up for passage.