Justice Yashwant Varma of the Allahabad High Court has moved the Supreme Court challenging the findings of an in-house committee that held him responsible following the discovery of unaccounted cash at his official residence in Delhi. According to Bar and Bench, the petition comes amid reports that the central government is likely to introduce an impeachment motion in Parliament seeking his removal.

In his plea, Justice Varma has questioned the legality of the recommendation made by then Chief Justice of India Sanjiv Khanna for his removal. He contended that the in-house inquiry process is unconstitutional and exceeds the legal authority granted to the Chief Justice, arguing that only Parliament has the power to remove a High Court judge under the Constitution. He described the in-house mechanism as an “extra-constitutional” process that bypasses due legal procedures. He further stated that the inquiry lacked the protections laid out in the Judges (Inquiry) Act, 1968, which governs investigations into judicial conduct. According to him, the process did not follow principles of natural justice or fair hearing.

The controversy began on March 14 when a fire broke out at Justice Varma’s official residence in Delhi. During firefighting operations, officials allegedly discovered bundles of unaccounted cash at the site. At the time, Justice Varma and his wife were in Madhya Pradesh, while only his daughter and elderly mother were present at the house. A video later surfaced showing what appeared to be burning stacks of currency notes. Justice Varma has denied any wrongdoing, claiming the incident may be part of a conspiracy to frame him.

Following the incident, then CJI Khanna ordered an in-house inquiry on March 22 and constituted a three-judge panel to investigate. Justice Varma was later transferred to the Allahabad High Court, where he was re-administered the oath but not assigned any judicial work. The inquiry committee began its work on March 25 and submitted its report to the CJI on May 4, concluding that Justice Varma was culpable. The report was then forwarded to the President with a recommendation for impeachment.

In his petition, Justice Varma emphasized that no formal complaint was ever filed against him and criticized the Supreme Court’s public disclosure of the allegations, which he said sparked a media trial. He also alleged that he was not informed of the procedure the inquiry committee followed, nor was he given a fair opportunity to respond to the evidence. He claimed this violated fundamental principles of justice. Furthermore, he alleged that CJI Khanna had pressured him to resign or take voluntary retirement within a short timeframe, warning that impeachment proceedings would otherwise be initiated.