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Informist, Tuesday, Aug. 12, 2025

 

NEW DELHI – Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla on Tuesday formed a three-member panel to probe Allahabad High Court Justice Yashwant Varma, from whose residence a huge amount of cash was found during a fire in March. The committee will comprise Supreme Court Justice Aravind Kumar, Madras High Court Chief Justice Manindra Mohan Shrivastava and senior advocate B.V. Acharya to probe charges against Justice Varma.

 

Accepting the motion signed by 146 Members of Parliament for the removal of Justice Varma, Birla said, "The committee will submit its report as early as possible. The proposal (for removal) will remain pending till the receipt of the report of the inquiry committee."

 

The development comes after the Supreme Court Thursday dismissed Justice Varma's petition against an in-house committee report that indicted him in the cash recovery case. Further, the top court had upheld former chief justice of India Sanjiv Khanna's recommendation to President Droupadi Murmu to initiate proceedings against Justice Varma for his removal as a judge. 

 

The three-member in-house committee formed by the Supreme Court had said the half-burnt currency notes found in the storeroom of Justice Varma's residence could not have been there without the active consent of the judge and his family. It was impossible for the currency to be planted in the storeroom of his house, which was monitored by the security, it said.

 

The in-house committee said while there might be no direct proof linking the high court judge to the stash, "strong inferential evidence" suggested his "covert or active control" over the money, which belied the trust reposed in him. This amounted to serious judicial misconduct, making a case to initiate the impeachment proceedings, the panel said.

 

In May, the three-member in-house committee appointed by the Supreme Court had submitted its report to the then chief justice of India Khanna, following its investigation into allegations that a large amount of cash was found at Justice Varma's residence after a fire broke out there in March. Thereafter, former chief justice Khanna recommended to the President to initiate removal proceedings against him. Justice Varma approached the Supreme Court, challenging the committee's report, the inquiry process conducted by the former chief justice, and the subsequent recommendation made to the President.  End

 

Reported by Surya Tripathi

Edited by Deepshikha Bhardwaj

 

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