Jagdeep Dhankhar’s last day in Parliament: Presiding over monsoon session, allowing notice against Justice Varma

According to sources, the V-P came to Rashtrapati Bhavan on a very short notice, without any prior appointment in the evening and submitted his resignation to the President

In what turned out to be his last day as Chairman of the Rajya Sabha, Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar presided over an unusually charged first sitting of the Monsoon Session on July 21 (Monday). At around 4 pm, a government statement said the Vice President would be visiting Jaipur on Wednesday. Such an announcement had set off speculation as the visit would have come during an ongoing session of Parliament -- a departure from established conventions.

Hours later after the adjournment of the Rajya Sabha, he resigned from his post, citing health concerns.

According to sources, the V-P came to Rashtrapati Bhavan on a very short notice, without any prior appointment in the evening and submitted his resignation to the President.

But before his abrupt exit, earlier in the day, Dhankhar, addressed the Rajya Sabha and raised several serious issues, including the impeachment motion against a high court judge Yashwant Varma and an incident involving unclaimed cash found under a seat in the House.

Addressing the Upper House, Dhankhar informed members that he had received a motion under Article 217(1)(b) read with Article 218, along with provisions of the Judges (Inquiry) Act, 1968, for the removal of Justice Yashwant Varma. “It is signed by more than 50 members of the Council of States and thus it meets the numerical requirement,” he said.

He directed the Secretary General to verify whether a similar motion had been submitted in the Lok Sabha, as the procedure under the Judges Inquiry Act differs depending on whether the motion is moved in one or both Houses, and on the dates of submission. If motions are filed on the same day in both Houses, the Speaker and Chairman are required to jointly constitute a three-member inquiry committee, he pointed out.

Union Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal, who was present in the House, confirmed that a similar motion had been submitted in the Lok Sabha by over 100 MPs.

“In such a case,” Dhankhar said, “the provisions of Section 3(2) of the Judges Inquiry Act will come into effect, and the Secretary General will take necessary steps in this direction.”

Dhankhar also revealed that a previous motion submitted in December 2024 for the removal of another High Court judge (Justice Shekhar Yadav) under Article 124 of the Constitution to him for consideration having 55 signatures had been found defective — one MP had allegedly signed twice and later denied one of the signatures. This brought the count 54, he said.

He said the motion was initially signed by 55 members, but a scrutiny revealed that one MP had signed twice, bringing the total valid count down to 54. “The result was that the representation, the motion indicated there are 55 members seeking removal. But actually it was not 55, it was only 54,” he noted. He said the process for verifying signatures and authentication is still ongoing.

He added that one MP, whose signature appeared twice, denied having signed the motion more than once. “If a motion carries two signatures of the same member and the honorable member declines that he has not signed at two places but he has signed only at one place, the matter becomes serious and culpable,” Dhankhar said, while stressing the need for Parliament to uphold transparency and integrity.

“This August House has to set very high standards. If we do not live up to the highest expectations of the people, then we'll be putting things under the carpet and not subjecting them to deep investigation,” he said.

Dhankhar said in the House that a bundle of Rs 500 notes was discovered earlier on seat number 222 in the Rajya Sabha chamber. What was “even more surprising and deeply concerning,” he said, was that no member had claimed the cash.

“This is deeply concerning. I had asked the authorities to get into the matter seriously. It appears now that the matter will have to be dealt with. Now I will place this before floor leaders for further consideration and guidance,” he added.

Later in the evening, Dhankhar reached Rashtrapati Bhavan unannounced and submitted his resignation to President Droupadi Murmu, citing health concerns.

Dhankhar’s tenure as Vice President and Rajya Sabha Chairman was marked by sharp interventions, frequent clashes with the Opposition, and his vocal criticism of the judiciary — especially his support for the National Judicial Appointments Commission (NJAC), which was struck down by the Supreme Court in 2015.

With his departure, the Vice President’s post will remain vacant until a fresh election is held, as mandated by the Constitution. Deputy Chairman Harivansh is likely to chair proceedings in the interim.