House Speaker Initiates Process to Remove Justice Varma Following Impeachment Proposal
The impeachment process against Delhi High Court Judge Yashwant Varma is currently underway in the Indian Parliament, following the Supreme Court's rejection of his plea challenging the inquiry committee's recommendation for impeachment.
The proceedings began in March 2025, after a controversy over burnt piles of cash found at Justice Varma's residence during a fire incident. An in-house panel, headed by then-Chief Justice Sanjiv Khanna, was established to investigate the matter and found that the burnt and partially burnt cash was under the "covert or active control" of Justice Varma or his family.
A three-member parliamentary committee, comprising Supreme Court judge Justice Aravind Kumar, Chief Justice of the Madras High Court Maninder Mohan, and senior advocate B.V. Acharya, has been formed by Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla to investigate the allegations. The impeachment motion, signed by 146 Members of Parliament, was officially accepted.
The impeachment process requires a special majority in both Houses of Parliament to pass. Under the Judges (Inquiry) Act, once such a motion is admitted and an inquiry committee is formed, the proposal for removal remains pending until the committee submits its report.
The panel's findings, along with photos and videos from the investigation, were uploaded on the Supreme Court's website. Justice Varma took oath at the Allahabad High Court amid the inquiry.
Prior to this, a three-member inquiry committee was set up to examine the charges against Justice Varma, and a three-judge in-house panel investigated the allegations following his denial of the allegations. Justice Varma was transferred to the Allahabad High Court and barred from judicial work. The cash found in his official residence was reportedly worth several crores.
Justice Varma had challenged the committee’s jurisdiction and claimed denial of a fair hearing, but the Supreme Court found the recommendation constitutionally valid and his conduct "not confidence-inspiring." The prescribed parliamentary process for the possible removal of a judge will follow after the committee submits its report.
If Parliament votes for his impeachment and the President approves the motion, Justice Varma may become the first High Court judge in independent India to be removed from office. The current status is that the impeachment process is ongoing, with the parliamentary committee undertaking its own inquiry before the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha can vote on the motion for removal.
The ongoing impeachment process of Delhi High Court Judge Yashwant Varma, currently underway in the Indian Parliament, is not only a significant event in the realm of politics but also raises concerns about the health and integrity of the judicial system in India. This process, instigated by the controversy surrounding burnt cash found at his residence, has led to the formation of a three-member parliamentary committee to investigate the allegations, as massive justifications for his removal are being weighed against the principles of policy-and-legislation. The outcome of this general-news saga will not only shape the future of sportsmanship and justice in the Indian Parliament but will also serve as a precedent in the annals of Indian democracy.
