Union parliamentary affairs minister Kiren Rijiju said on Wednesday that the upcoming monsoon session of Parliament will be held from July 21 to August 12, adding that the Union government wants the Opposition to be on board with its decision to move a motion of impeachment against sitting high court judge justice Yashwant Varma.

The minister said the issue pertains to corruption in the judiciary and therefore, the motion of impeachment should be a collaborative effort and not viewed from a “political prism”.

Referring to the government’s attempts to build consensus on the impeachment motion, Rijiju said he’s spoken to all major opposition parties including the Congress, Trinamool Congress, Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam and the Samajwadi Party, and is in the process if speaking to others parties as well.

“I have started negotiations and the first round of informal discussion have been held. Today and tomorrow I will reach out to all the smaller parties as well,” he said.

The government is keen to get the Opposition on board for the impeachment motion that requires both Houses to pass the motion with a two- thirds majority. To be sure, the Opposition too has sought action against the high court judge from whose official residence cash was recovered in March when fire fighters were called in to douse a fire.

Pointing out that while the opposition parties have indicated that they will support the motion of impeachment, the minister said the issue cannot be viewed from a political prism.

“Impeachment cannot be a political matter and it is a matter related to corruption in judiciary and should be taken up jointly by parties. The impeachment being mooted is on the charge of corruption and we want to take everyone on board,” he said.

He said the government did not expect any adverse response from the Opposition as the impeachment is on a “genuine issue related to corruption.”

“The matter cannot be any one political party’s stand. And Parliament is the only authority to impeach…” he said.

The motion will need the signatures of 100 MPs in the Lok Sabha and 50 in the Rajya Sabha. It has not yet been decided whether the motion will be moved in the Lok Sabha or the Rajya Sabha first. People aware of the details said that decision will be taken depending on the business listed for both Houses.

“As per the rules, once the motion is admitted, then a committee has to be set up to probe the charges. That committee, to be chosen and appointed by the Lok Sabha Speaker will submit a report, which is tabled in the House and then discussion can start…In this case, a committee has already been constituted by the CJI and they have already given the report. We will have to see what procedure to follow,” Rijiju said.

As per the rules laid down in the Judges (Inquiry) Act of 1968, after a motion to remove a judge is admitted in any of House, the speaker or the chairman, as the case may be, are required to constitute a three-member committee to investigate the grounds on which the removal has been sought.

The committee consists of the CJI or a Supreme Court judge, the chief justice of one of the high courts, and a distinguished jurist.

The minister said the report of the committee set up by the SC cannot be overlooked and the final decision on the setting up of a new committee will be taken by the Lok Sabha Speaker.

A second government functionary indicated that there will be no special session to discuss Operation Sindoor, as demanded by a clutch of opposition parties.

The functionary said the government is not averse to discussions on any issue, provided it is raised in both Houses of Parliament as per rules and procedure.

“All sessions are special,important and critical sessions. All discussions will be taken up as per rules,” the person said.

On May 5, a three member panel appointed by the Supreme Court submitted a report to the CJI and confirmed that cash was found at the residence of justice Varma, then a Delhi high court judge.

This cash was allegedly kept in a storeroom where a fire broke out March 14, following which half-burnt currency notes were allegedly found stacked in a sack.

In a post on X, Congress general secretary and Rajya Sabha MP, Jairam Ramesh, said normally the dates for a Parliament session are announced a few days in advance, but “never have the dates been declared 47 days before a session is due”.

“This has been done solely to run away from the demand being made repeatedly by the Indian National Congress and the INDIA parties for an immediate special session to discuss the brutal Pahalgam attacks and the failure to bring the terrorists who did the killings themselves to justice, the impacts of Operation Sindoor and its blatant politicisation, the revelations of the CDS in Singapore, the hyphenation of India and Pakistan, the embedding of China in the Pakistan Air Force, the continuous claims of President Trump on mediation, and the numerous failures of our foreign policy and diplomatic engagements,” he said.