Published Aug 12, 2025 | 1:50 PM ⚊ Updated Aug 12, 2025 | 1:50 PM
Justice Yashwant Varma.
Synopsis: Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla said the committee will submit its report “as soon as possible”. Birla had accepted a motion, signed by 146 MPs, seeking the impeachment of Justice Varma. Further action on the MPs’ motion will be based on the committee’s report.
A three-member panel will probe allegations against Allahabad High Court Judge Justice Yashwant Varma, at whose residence a stash of charred and partially burned currency notes was found, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla announced in the Lower House on Tuesday, 12 August.
The panel comprises Justice Aravind Kumar of the Supreme Court, Chief Justice Maninder Singh of Tamil Nadu, and Senior Advocate of the Karnataka High Court, BV Acharya.
The committee would submit its report “as soon as possible”. Earlier, Birla accepted a motion, signed by 146 MPs, seeking the impeachment of Justice Varma. Further action on the MPs’ motion would be based on the committee’s report.
“On July 31, 2025, I received a written notice signed by 146 members of the ruling and opposition parties, including Ravishankar Prasad and the Leader of the Opposition in the House. The notice proposes a motion to remove the current judge of the Allahabad High Court, Justice Yashwant Varma, under Section 3 of the Judges Inquiry Act, 1968, read with Articles 124(4), 217, and 218 of the Constitution of India,” Birla said.
Firefighters responding to a blaze at Justice Varma’s residence found a large amount of currency notes in the outhouse. Justice Varma, then a judge of the Delhi High Court, was away when the blaze occurred on 14 March.
The Supreme Court, on 7 August, upheld the legality of an in-house inquiry that recommended the removal of Justice Varma, rejecting his claim of not getting a fair hearing. The in-house probe had held Justice Varma guilty of misconduct.
Justice Varma refused to resign despite being indicted by the in-house committee. Chief Justice Sanjiv Khanna forwarded the report and Justice Varma’s response to the President and Prime Minister, paving the way for possible impeachment under the judiciary’s internal protocol for handling misconduct by sitting judges.
