Ex-IRS officer Ganapati Bhat appointed as secretary to committee probing Justice Yashwant Varma cash row

New Delhi: Former IRS officer Ganapati Bhat, who retired as Principal Chief Commissioner of Income Tax (Karnataka and Goa Region), has been appointed as Secretary to the three-member committee formed under Judges (Inquiry) Act to probe allegations against Justice Yashwant Varma, who is facing impeachment.

The order of appointment of Bhat, a 1989-batch IRS officer who hails from Uttara Kannada, by Speaker Om Birla was issued on Friday. The committee comprises Supreme Court judge Justice Aravind Kumar, Chief Justice of the Madras High Court Manindra Mohan Shrivastava, and senior advocate BV Acharya.

Bhat, whose career spans over three decades, had also served as Principal Chief Commissioner of Income Tax (International Taxation) in New Delhi as well as Bhat Additional Secretary in the Lok Sabha. He was also Director General of Income Tax Investigation (Karnataka and Goa and Kerala).

Birla had last month announced the setting up of a three-member committee to probe allegations against Justice Varma, from whose official residence in Delhi when he was High Court judge here burnt currency notes were discovered following a fire incident in March.

If the panel finds Justice Varma guilty of the charges of corruption, impeachment proceedings will start in Parliament.