TODAY, LOK SABHA SPEAKER Om Birla informed the Parliament’s Lower House that he has constituted a three-member Inquiry Committee under the Judges (Inquiry) Act, 1968 (‘1968 Act’) to investigate allegations against Justice Yashwant Varma, a former Delhi High Court judge and currently serving at the Allahabad High Court.
The allegations pertain to the alleged recovery of unaccounted cash by Delhi Fire Service personnel on March 14, 2025, from an outhouse at the official residence of Justice Varma during a firefighting operation.
The committee comprises Supreme Court judge Justice Aravind Kumar, Chief Justice of the Madras High Court Manindra Mohan Shrivastava, and senior advocate B.V. Acharya. It has been formed pursuant to Section 3 of the 1968 Act.
Under the 1968 Act, Members of Parliament (‘MPs’) are authorised to sign a motion for the removal of a judge. In the Lok Sabha, the motion requires the signatures of at least 100 MPs, while in the Rajya Sabha, it requires at least 50 MPs.
The Speaker announced that a motion to impeach Justice Varma, signed by 146 MPs, including the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, had been received.
