LS Speaker to consult leaders before taking call on Justice Varma

Thiruvananthapuram, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla on Wednesday said that he will consult leaders of political parties and examine the rules on the impeachment process against Justice Yashwant Varma after a panel found him guilty in the matter of discovery of cash at his official residence.LS Speaker to consult leaders before taking call on Justice VarmaA three-member committee constituted by Birla under the Judges Act, in its report submitted in both houses of Parliament in August, said the charges of unexplained cash, disturbing evidence and evasive explanation against him "are proved".Justice Varma has since tendered his resignation as a judge of the Allahabad High Court but his resignation has not yet been notified by the law ministry. His name still figures in the list of judges of the Allahabad High Court."Will see the rules and examine it. We will also consult leaders of political parties before taking any future course of action," Birla told reporters on the sideline of a conference here.The probe panel was set up after nearly 200 MPs belonging to different political parties from both ruling and opposition alliances pressed for his removal by Parliament.Asked about the resignation letter sent by the Allahabad High Court judge, sources said that when a high court or Supreme Court judge resigns, it is normally considered deemed to be accepted.However, in the case of Justice Varma, the resignation letter was sent only after the removal process in Parliament began. Hence, his resignation has not yet been accepted.A fire broke out at the official residence of Justice Varma in Delhi on the night of March 14, 2025. Firefighters called to douse the blaze allegedly discovered massive amounts of burnt currency in a storeroom.Justice Varma was repatriated from the Delhi High Court to the Allahabad High Court after burnt wads of currency notes were found at his official residence here on March 14.After referring to relevant laws and judgments of the Supreme Court, the Delhi High Court chief justice found that the charges against Justice Varma were of a serious nature and followed it up with the "in-house procedure".The then Chief Justice of India, Sanjiv Khanna, had initiated an in-house probe into the allegations and set up the three-member committee in March 2025 to conduct the inquiry.After receiving the report, the CJI asked Justice Varma to resign or face impeachment proceedings.However, since Justice Varma declined to quit at that time, the then CJI Khanna forwarded the report and the judge's response on it to the president and the prime minister for removal of the judge.Birla constituted the three-member committee in August last year to probe charges against Justice Yashwant Varma after admitting a multi-party notice for his removal, setting in motion the process of impeachment of the Allahabad High Court judge.Speaker Birla had stated that unblemished character and financial and intellectual integrity were the foundation of the trust a common person has in the judiciary.This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text.