Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla on Tuesday announced a three-member panel to investigate allegations against Allahabad high court judge Justice Yashwant Varma, at whose residence a large sum of burned and partially burned cash was found after a blaze in March this year.
The panel will comprise Justice Aravind Kumar of the Supreme Court, Madras high court chief justice Maninder Mohan, and senior advocate BV Acharaya.
Last week, the Supreme Court dismissed Justice Varma’s plea to invalidate the report of an SC-appointed in-house inquiry panel, which had found him guilty of misconduct. On March 21, Chief Justice of India (CJI) Sanjiv Khanna sought a written reply from Justice Varma.
लोकसभा स्पीकर @ombirlakota ने इलाहाबाद HC के जज यशवंत वर्मा के महाभियोग पर चर्चा की और आरोपों की जांच हेतु तीन सदस्यीय पैनल की घोषणा की।
SC judge Aravind Kumar, Madras
HC Chief Justice Manindra Mohan Shrivastava
and
jurist B V Achary@LokSabhaSectt pic.twitter.com/Y0vRwCGwPv
— SansadTV (@sansad_tv) August 12, 2025
The following day, Justice Varma responded, denying the allegations. The CJI then constituted a three-member committee to investigate the matter, and the Supreme Court later uploaded the in-house inquiry report, including photos and videos, on its website.
Top court raps judge for conduct, backs CJI’s authority
On July 30, the Supreme Court said Justice Varma’s conduct did not inspire confidence and emphasised that the CJI cannot be merely a “post office” but has duties to the nation when it comes to addressing judicial misconduct.
ALSO READ: Supreme Court rejects justice Yashwant Varma’s plea in cash stash case, what happens next?
The apex court also questioned Justice Varma on why he appeared before the in-house inquiry panel and only later challenged its findings. It observed that he should have approached the top court earlier if he had objections to the committee’s report. The case, titled ‘XXX v. The Union of India’, sought to challenge the panel’s findings in the cash discovery matter.
