SC dismisses Allahabad HC judge Yashwant Varma’s plea against parliamentary panel

New Delhi: In a major setback for Allahabad High Court judge Yashwant Varma, the Supreme Court has dismissed his petition challenging the Lok Sabha Speaker’s decision to admit a motion seeking his removal, as well as the legality of the parliamentary panel investigating corruption charges against him.

A bench of Justices Dipankar Datta and SC Sharma, which had reserved its verdict on 8 January, pronounced the decision on Thursday.

On 16 December, the Supreme Court had agreed to examine Justice Varma’s plea, which challenged the Speaker’s unilateral decision to constitute a committee under the Judges (Inquiry) Act, 1968, to investigate him. Represented by senior advocate Mukul Rohatgi, Justice Varma argued that the constitution of the committee under Section 3(2) of the Act violated his right to equal treatment under the law. He contended that although notices of motion for removal were given in both Houses of Parliament on the same day, the Speaker acted unilaterally in constituting the panel.

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The controversy first erupted on 15 March last year when firefighters called to Justice Varma’s Delhi residence discovered piles of cash that had been destroyed in a fire, raising serious questions about corruption at the highest levels of the judiciary.

Justice Varma denied any connection to the cash and described the allegations as “preposterous.” Nevertheless, the Supreme Court set up an in-house panel, which recommended his impeachment. The panel’s report, forwarded to President Droupadi Murmu and Prime Minister Narendra Modi by then Chief Justice of India Sanjiv Khanna, endorsed the recommendation. Following this, Justice Varma filed a petition challenging the panel’s recommendation, initially keeping his identity anonymous in court documents and referred to as ‘XXX’.

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In his writ petition, Justice Varma presented five arguments questioning why he could not be removed, including challenges to the jurisdiction and authority of the in-house committee to investigate a sitting judge. However, the Supreme Court rejected his petition, describing it as “not worth entertaining” and criticising him for his “not confidence-inspiring conduct.”