Om Birla has reconstituted a three-member committee to investigate corruption allegations against Yashwant Varma, following fresh developments in the controversial case involving the alleged discovery of burnt cash at the judge’s residence.
The panel will examine the charges that could potentially lead to the removal of Justice Varma from the Allahabad High Court. According to a notice issued by the Lok Sabha Secretariat, the committee has been formed to investigate the grounds cited in the motion seeking the judge’s impeachment.
The newly reconstituted committee includes Justice Aravind Kumar, Justice Shri Chandrashekhar, and senior advocate BV Acharya.
The move came after the Supreme Court of India dismissed an appeal filed by Justice Varma challenging the decision to admit an impeachment motion against him. The judge had also questioned the validity of the earlier committee constituted to probe the allegations.
The controversy dates back to March last year when firefighters responding to a blaze at Justice Varma’s official residence in New Delhi reportedly discovered piles of partially burnt currency notes inside the bungalow. The incident triggered nationwide debate and raised serious concerns about alleged corruption within the judiciary.
Following the discovery, Justice Varma was repatriated from the Delhi High Court to the Allahabad High Court while investigations continued.
In August, Speaker Om Birla had earlier formed a separate three-member committee to probe the allegations. At the same time, he also admitted an impeachment motion against the judge that had been backed by 146 Members of Parliament.
In his petition before the Supreme Court, Justice Varma argued that the formation of the committee under provisions of the Judges Inquiry Act, 1968 violated his right to equality before the law. He also claimed that although notices seeking his removal had been submitted in both Houses of Parliament on the same day, the Speaker constituted the committee unilaterally, allegedly bypassing established procedures.
However, a bench of Justices Dipankar Datta and Satish Chandra Sharma rejected the arguments. The court observed that legal provisions cannot be used to obstruct parliamentary proceedings and stated that the claims lacked a valid legal basis.
Earlier, an in-house panel set up by the Supreme Court had also examined the matter and recommended impeachment proceedings. The report was subsequently forwarded to Droupadi Murmu and Narendra Modi by then Chief Justice of India Sanjiv Khanna. The reconstituted committee will now continue the investigation into the allegations against Justice Varma.
