Supreme Court to Hear Justice Yashwant Varmas Plea Against Removal Recommendation

The Supreme Court will soon hear a plea filed by Justice Yashwant Varma, a judge of the Allahabad High Court, who is challenging a recommendation made to remove him from his position. This recommendation was made after burnt currency notes were reportedly found at his official residence in Delhi after a fire incident.

The incident took place on March 14, when a fire broke out at Justice Varma’s government house. During the cleanup after the fire, authorities allegedly discovered a large amount of burnt cash. The matter was taken seriously, and an in-house inquiry panel consisting of senior judges was set up to look into the matter.

In May, this panel submitted its report to the President and Prime Minister, stating that Justice Varma or someone in his household seemed to have “covert or active control” over the cash found. Based on these findings, the panel recommended that impeachment proceedings be started against him.

Justice Varma has now filed a writ petition in the Supreme Court, saying that the in-house inquiry was not fair and violated his rights. He has argued that the panel did not follow the proper legal procedure, did not give him a fair chance to respond, and that the evidence used against him was not fully shared with him.

Chief Justice B.R. Gavai has recused himself (stepped away) from hearing the case, because he was part of earlier discussions related to it. Now, a special bench of the Supreme Court will be set up to hear Justice Varma’s petition.

The case has attracted national attention and started discussions on judicial fairness, accountability, and what the correct process should be when a sitting judge is under serious questioning.