New Delhi, Aug 11: Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla on Tuesday admitted a notice for the removal of High Court judge Justice Yashwant Varma and announced the formation of a three-member inquiry committee to examine the charges against him.
Making the announcement in the Lok Sabha, Birla said the process of removal should begin as the allegations were of a serious nature. The committee will include Supreme Court judge Justice Aravind Kumar, Madras High Court Chief Justice Manindra Mohan Shrivastava, and senior advocate of the Karnataka High Court B. V. Acharya. The panel has been tasked with submitting its report “as early as possible,” after which Parliament will decide the next steps.
This rare move comes under the provisions of Article 124(4) and (5) of the Constitution, which outline the impeachment process for judges of the Supreme Court and High Courts. Such proceedings are uncommon and indicate the gravity of the matter.
Background of the Case
The controversy surrounding Justice Varma began on March 14, 2025, when a fire broke out around 11:35 PM at his official residence at 30 Tughlaq Crescent, New Delhi. While attempting to control the blaze, firefighters reportedly found bundles of semi-burnt cash at the site. This discovery triggered a chain of events that escalated into a full-fledged judicial and political storm.
On March 15, officials from the Delhi High Court inspected the residence on the directions of the Chief Justice of Delhi High Court. Two days later, Chief Justice D. K. Upadhyay met then Chief Justice of India (CJI) Sanjiv Khanna and shared photographs and videos of the site. On March 20, The Times of India published a report on the alleged cash recovery, making the matter public.
The CJI subsequently sought a written response from Justice Varma by March 22. In his reply, the judge denied all allegations, calling them baseless. Nevertheless, the CJI constituted an in-house inquiry committee to probe the matter.
The panel — comprising Chief Justice Sheel Nagu (Punjab and Haryana High Court), Chief Justice G. S. Sandhawalia (Himachal Pradesh High Court), and Justice Anu Sivaraman (Karnataka High Court) — began its work on March 25 and submitted its report on May 3. The committee found Justice Varma guilty of misconduct and recommended his removal.
Following the findings, Justice Varma was transferred to the Allahabad High Court on March 28, with directions that no judicial work be assigned to him. On May 8, CJI Khanna wrote to President Droupadi Murmu and Prime Minister Narendra Modi, recommending impeachment proceedings after Justice Varma refused to resign.
Justice Varma challenged the inquiry in the Supreme Court, alleging the process was unconstitutional and violated natural justice. He argued that no formal complaint had been made against him, and the inquiry was initiated based solely on media reports and internal communications. However, on August 7, a bench of Justices Dipankar Datta and A. G. Masih dismissed his petition, holding that the CJI and the in-house panel had followed due procedure.
With the Speaker now admitting the removal notice and forming a fresh three-member committee, the final decision on Justice Varma’s fate will depend on the panel’s report and subsequent parliamentary action.