Legal experts are divided on whether an FIR can be lodged against former Allahabad High Court judge Justice Yashwant Varma, who resigned after a Lok Sabha-appointed panel found him guilty of charges related to unexplained cash found at his residence.
An inquiry committee's report into allegations against Justice Yashwant Varma, who faced removal proceedings over unaccounted cash found at his residence, was tabled in Rajya Sabha. The report details the investigation into the alleged discovery of burnt currency following a fire at his official residence. Justice Varma has since resigned, rendering the removal proceedings infructuous, though his resignation is yet to be formally notified.
Allahabad High Court judge Yashwant Varma has resigned, effectively halting impeachment proceedings initiated against him by the Lok Sabha following corruption allegations.
The report of a three-member committee investigating the grounds for the removal of High Court judge Yashwant Varma, following the discovery of burnt currency notes at his residence, will be tabled in the Lok Sabha during the upcoming Monsoon session.
Thirty-six former judges have called on people, including parliamentarians, to denounce opposition leaders' move to impeach Madras High Court judge Justice G R Swaminathan, saying such an attempt would undermine democracy and judicial independence.
The Judges Inquiry Committee, formed to investigate allegations against Justice Yashwant Varma, has submitted its report to the Lok Sabha Speaker. The report, concerning allegations that led to impeachment proceedings, will be presented before both Houses of Parliament.
Justice Yashwant Varma of the Allahabad High Court has resigned amid impeachment proceedings sparked by the discovery of burnt currency at his residence, raising questions about judicial conduct and accountability.
Government sources on Tuesday said Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju has begun consultations as part of efforts to get leaders of different parties on board for the impeachment motion against Varma following his indictment by a three-member probe committee constituted by the Supreme Court.
'If the parliamentary committee's report does not find substantiated charges, the process ends.'
Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju on Wednesday underlined the government's resolve to take all political parties on board in moving an impeachment motion against Justice Yashwant Varma, saying corruption in the judiciary cannot be approached through a 'political prism'.
'If we stay silent now, we betray the very foundation of justice in this country.'
Officials aware of the procedure to appoint and remove Supreme Court and high court judges pointed out that while defending his case before lawmakers in any of the House, Justice Varma can announce that he is quitting and his verbal statement will be considered as his resignation.
Chief Justice of India Sanjiv Khanna has recommended the impeachment of Allahabad High Court judge Yashwant Varma following an investigation into a cash discovery incident at his residence. The recommendation follows a report by a Supreme Court-appointed committee that confirmed allegations of cash discovery against Justice Varma. The CJI's recommendation is based on the established in-house procedure for dealing with allegations against judges of constitutional courts.
'Refusal does not invite immediate legal penalty; it invites Constitutional unease.'
Members of several opposition parties in India have initiated proceedings to impeach Allahabad High Court Judge Shekhar Kumar Yadav for his alleged controversial remarks at a recent event. The impeachment motion, signed by 55 opposition MPs, cites the judge's speech at a Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) function, where he allegedly made provocative statements on a uniform civil code and the law working according to the majority. The Supreme Court has taken note of the controversy and sought details from the Allahabad High Court.
Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju says all political parties support the impeachment of Justice Yashwant Varma after burnt currency notes were found at his residence.
Officials aware of the procedure to appoint and remove Supreme Court and high court judges pointed out that while defending his case before lawmakers in any of the House, Justice Varma can announce that he is quitting and his verbal statement will be considered as his resignation.
The Supreme Court dismissed Allahabad High Court judge Yashwant Varma's plea seeking invalidation of a report that found him guilty of misconduct in the cash discovery row.
'Presumption of innocence must guide all formal actions, but transparency must not be mistaken for pre-judgment.' 'The cruel irony, however, is that Justice Varma is a fine judge who enjoys a reputation for writing well-reasoned judgments.'
The Supreme Court collegium has confirmed the transfer of Delhi High Court Justice Yashwant Varma to his parent Allahabad High Court. This decision comes after an inquiry was initiated against Justice Varma regarding the alleged discovery of a large amount of cash at his official residence. The transfer recommendation was made public in a resolution uploaded on the Supreme Court's website. The alleged cash discovery occurred following a fire at Varma's residence in Delhi on March 14, 2025. The apex court collegium, headed by Chief Justice Sanjiv Khanna, has also constituted a three-member inquiry committee to further investigate the matter.
The Allahabad High Court Bar Association has begun an indefinite strike to protest the proposed transfer of Delhi HC judge Yashwant Varma, who is under investigation after a large amount of cash was found at his residence. The Oudh Bar Association (OBA) of the Lucknow bench of the High Court has also condemned the transfer, calling for impeachment proceedings against Justice Varma. Both bar associations are concerned about the impact on public faith in the judiciary and have called for a reconsideration of the transfer decision.
While Jaitley posted his hard-hitting response to the opposition's move in Facebook, BJP fielded its spokesperson Meenakshi Lekhi, who is also a lawyer, to take on the Congress.
The Republican-majority Senate voted 52-48 to acquit him of abuse of power and 53-47 to acquit him of obstruction of Congress, thus preventing the Democratic move to overthrow him, for which they required two-thirds of votes in the 100-member House.
The Supreme Court has sought details from the Allahabad High Court regarding controversial statements made by Justice Shekhar Kumar Yadav at a VHP function. The development comes amid calls for action against the judge for his remarks, which have been labeled as hate speech by some. The judge's statements were made at a VHP function on December 8, where he spoke about the Uniform Civil Code and the law working according to the majority. Several individuals and organizations, including lawyer Prashant Bhushan and CPI(M) leader Brinda Karat, have called for an inquiry into the judge's conduct and for his removal from judicial duties.
The Congress on Tuesday claimed that there are "far deeper reasons" for Jagdeep Dhankhar's resignation as the vice president than the health reasons cited by him, and said his resignation speaks highly of him but poorly of those who got him elected to the post.
The Supreme Court addressed concerns about misinformation spreading related to an incident involving Delhi High Court judge Justice Yashwant Varma. The court clarified that the proposal to transfer Justice Varma to Allahabad High Court was independent of an internal investigation into the discovery of a large sum of cash at his residence following a fire. The Delhi High Court Chief Justice is conducting the investigation and will submit a report to the Chief Justice of India today.
He said the Congress party is capable of dragging the judges into an unsavoury controversy and make them controversial 'should their judicial opinion not appear favourable in the cases in which the party has an interest'.
Leaders of the opposition parties had on Friday met Naidu and handed over the notice of impeachment against the chief justice of India bearing signatures of 64 MPs and seven former members, who recently retired.
Naidu said his decision was in strict conformity with the provisions of the Constitution and the Judges (Inquiry) Act of 1968.
Decks were on Wednesday cleared for impeachment proceedings against Calcutta high court judge Soumitra Sen with a judicial committee set up by Rajya Sabha Chairman Hamid Ansari finding him guilty of misappropriating "large sums" of funds and making false statement regarding it.
'We have already prejudged the issue. And now things have reached a point where it is very difficult for a person to say that he could be innocent.'
Justice Soumitra Sen of the Calcutta high court, who has been indicted by a judicial committee on an impeachment motion, has filed his reply to the Rajya Sabha, countering the charges against him.In his reply submitted on Thursday, Justice Sen is understood to have contended that he had done no wrong and there was no basis for the charges against him, on the basis of which he was found guilty by the committee set up by Rajya Sabha Chairman Hamid Ansari.
Lee Jae-myung's decisive victory in South Korea's snap presidential election marks a major political shift driven by public backlash against authoritarian, with significant implications for domestic reform and the future of the US-South Korea alliance, observes Dr Rajaram Panda.
The Supreme Court of India has released an inquiry report into the alleged discovery of a large amount of cash at the residence of Delhi High Court judge Yashwant Varma. The report, which includes photos and videos, was uploaded on the court's website. Chief Justice of India Sanjiv Khanna has formed an in-house committee to investigate the matter and has asked the Delhi High Court Chief Justice to not assign any judicial work to Justice Varma. Justice Varma has denied the allegations, claiming they are part of a conspiracy to frame him. The inquiry report, submitted by the Delhi High Court Chief Justice, has been made public and calls for a deeper probe into the incident. The incident has raised concerns about judicial accountability and has prompted the Congress party to call for strong measures to uphold public trust in the judiciary.
64 Rajya Sabha MPs have signed the notice for impeachment proceedings against Chief Justice of India Deepak Misra under "five grounds of misbehaviour".
Rajya Sabha member Kapil Sibal has criticised Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar for questioning the judiciary over the timeline for the president to take decisions, calling it "unconstitutional " and a lowering of the dignity of the chair. Sibal asserted that Dhankhar's remarks are not neutral and amount to an attack on the judiciary by the executive. He also pointed out that the president acts on the aid and advice of the council of ministers, and therefore, the president's power cannot be curtailed. Sibal urged Dhankhar to seek a review of the judiciary's decision or an advisory opinion from the Supreme Court if he has problems with it. He also questioned why Dhankhar only focuses on actions taken during Congress governments and not after 2014.
The prime minister's remarks come close on the heels of the government preparing to move an impeachment motion against Calcutta high court Judge Soumitra Sen who has been accused of financial misconduct as a lawyer, before being elevated.
Criticising the decision, the party also said it was a fight between forces 'rejecting democracy' and voices 'rescuing democracy'.
The Supreme Court on Thursday ordered the reinstatement of a former Madhya Pradesh woman judicial officer, who resigned in 2014 following an inquiry into her allegations of sexual harassment against a high court judge, saying her resignation cannot be construed to be voluntary.
Referring to Article 124 of the Constitution, the sources said the notice should have grounds of 'proved misbehaviour or incapacity'.
