SC agrees to hear Justice Yashwant Varma's plea challenging constitution of inquiry panel

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Tuesday agreed to hear Allahabad High Court judge Justice Yashwant Varma's plea challenging the constitution of an inquiry committee by Lok Sabha Speaker to probe corruption charges against him.

The inquiry committee comprises Supreme Court judge Aravind Kumar, Madras High Court Chief Justice Manindra Mohan Shrivastava, and senior Karnataka High Court advocate B V Acharya.

A bench of Justices Dipankar Datta and Augustine George Masih issued notices to the office of the Lok Sabha Speaker and the secretaries-general of both the Houses and sought their responses.

The matter is posted for the next hearing on January 7, 2026.

Wads of burnt cash were found following a fire in the storeroom of the judge's official residence in the national capital on March 14.

The top court was hearing a plea filed by Justice Varma challenging the legality of the three-member committee constituted solely by the Lok Sabha under the procedure provided by the Judges Inquiry Act.

"Issue an appropriate writ, order or direction declaring and setting aside the Impugned Action dated August 12, 2025 of the Hon'ble Speaker of the Lok Sabha in constituting the Hon'ble Committee under Section 3(2) of the Judges (Inquiry) Act, 1968 as unconstitutional, being violative of Articles 124, 217 and 218 of the Constitution of India, 1950, and contrary to the procedure established by law under the Judges (Inquiry) Act, 1968," the plea said.

The counsel appearing for Justice Varma submitted that the introduction of a motion regarding his removal in both Houses of Parliament mandates that the constitution of a three-member committee must have been formed jointly by both Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha and not unilaterally by the Speaker of Lok Sabha.

According to the Judges (Inquiry) Act of 1968, once a motion to remove a judge is admitted in either of the Houses, the speaker or the chairman, as the case may be, will constitute a three-member committee to investigate the grounds on which the removal (or, in popular term, impeachment) has been sought.