The Supreme Court will on Monday hear a plea by Allahabad high court Justice Yashwant Varma challenging the report of an in-house inquiry committee and former Chief Justice of India Sanjiv Khanna's suggestion to move impeachment proceedings against him.
A bench of Justices Dipankar Datta and Augustine George Masih will hear the plea.
In his plea, Justice Varma claims that he was not given a fair opportunity to defend himself against the charges brought before him by the committee before it issued its report.
Alleging that the panel's findings were based on a preconceived narrative, Justice Varma said the inquiry timelines were driven solely by the urge to conclude proceedings swiftly, even at the expense of "procedural fairness".
Allegations against Justice Varma
Justice Varma has allegedly committed judicial misconduct arising out of a fire incident at his official home in Delhi on March 14, 2025, while he was serving at the Delhi high court. Firefighters and police are said to have found a large stash of half-burnt and charred money involving some crores inside a storeroom on the premises, a place within the control of the judge or his relatives.
The finding prompted an instant judicial inquiry, which resulted in the establishment of a three-judge Supreme Court panel headed by then CJI Sanjiv Khanna, who held that the money's presence and subsequent quiet removal were highly suspicious and likely orchestrated.
{{/usCountry}}The finding prompted an instant judicial inquiry, which resulted in the establishment of a three-judge Supreme Court panel headed by then CJI Sanjiv Khanna, who held that the money's presence and subsequent quiet removal were highly suspicious and likely orchestrated.
{{/usCountry}}Justice Varma strongly refutes the allegations, calling them baseless and part of a sinister conspiracy against him. In his defence, he claimed that the storeroom was a common area used by domestic help from time to time—not a private room under his sole ownership—and asserted there was no CCTV footage linking him, no stock or seizure reports detailing the cash, and no plausible explanation for its whereabouts.
What happened so far?
The cash discovery in the official residence of Justice Varma triggered a political row after an in‑house panel concluded its probe, finding misconduct “serious enough” to recommend impeachment.
Former CJI Khanna submitted the report to the President and Prime Minister. Judicial business was taken away from Varma, and he was posted to Allahabad HC, where he took up work quietly early this April.
In July, Justice Varma had moved a petition to the Supreme Court questioning the findings of the inquiry and the recommendation for his removal on grounds of procedural unfairness and maintainability. The SC formed a fresh bench—Chief Justice Gavai recused—one headed by Justice Dipankar Datta. Today is fixed for the hearing.
The Lok Sabha will meanwhile consider a bipartisan resolution to impeach Justice Yashwant Varma, who is at the center of a suspected corruption scandal.
Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju told on Friday that it was an unanimous decision of all political parties to proceed collectively in a matter of perceived corruption in judiciary, and that Lok Sabha will consider the motion, which was moved with signatures of 152 MPs of ruling coalition and Opposition.