Parliament Budget Session Live Updates: '70% reduction in deaths due to terrorism in J&K during Modi govt,' says Amit Shah

Parliament Budget Session Live Updates: The Rajya Sabha on Friday took up the issue of the alleged recovery of cash from the residence of a sitting Delhi high court judge, with Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar stating that he will explore a structured discussion on judicial accountability. Raising the matter during the morning session, Congress MP Jairam Ramesh urged Dhankhar to address concerns about judicial transparency and reminded him of a pending impeachment notice against an Allahabad High Court judge. “This morning, we have read about a shocking case of huge amounts of cash unearthed at the residence of a judge of the Delhi high court,” Ramesh said. He also pointed out that 50 MPs had previously submitted a notice regarding remarks made by an Allahabad high court judge, emphasising that the Chairman himself had spoken about the urgency of judicial accountability. “I request that you please make some observations on this and give necessary directions to the government to come up with a proposal for increasing judicial accountability,” Ramesh added. Dhankhar, addressing the concerns, noted that what troubled him most was that the incident had not come to light immediately. “If such an incident involved a politician, bureaucrat, or industrialist, the person concerned would have become a ‘target’ immediately,” he remarked. “A systemic response that is transparent, accountable, and effective is necessary.” He assured the House that he would consult the Leader of the House and the Leader of the Opposition to establish a mechanism for a structured discussion during the session. Meanwhile, a senior lawyer appearing before the Delhi high court expressed “pain and shock” over the alleged cash recovery from the residence of Justice Yashwant Varma, who did not preside over court proceedings on Friday. The Supreme Court Collegium has reportedly decided to transfer Justice Varma back to his parent Allahabad high court following the allegations. On the impeachment matter, Dhankhar informed the House that he had received a representation from 55 Rajya Sabha members and was in the process of verifying their signatures. “Most members responded positively, helping me perform my duty,” he said, urging the remaining members to reply to verification emails. He added that if the number of verified signatories remained above 50, he would proceed accordingly. “Those who have not yet responded should do so promptly. The process will not be delayed at my level, even for a moment,” he assured. Dhankhar also revealed that one member’s signature appeared twice, and the concerned member had denied signing it.