Justice Yashwant Varma of the Allahabad High Court has appealed to the Supreme Court on Wednesday for an expedited hearing on his petition.
He is challenging an in-house inquiry panel’s report that found him guilty of misconduct related to a high-profile cash discovery incident.
Chief Justice Gavai To Form Bench For The Case
Chief Justice of India B R Gavai informed senior advocate Kapil Sibal, who represented Justice Varma, that he would need to form a bench to hear the matter. At the time, the CJI was presiding over a bench that included Justices K Vinod Chandran and Joymalya Bagchi.
Kapil Sibal stressed the urgency of the case, urging the court to schedule it at the earliest opportunity. He highlighted that the petition raises important constitutional issues requiring prompt judicial scrutiny.
Plea Seeks To Overturn Impeachment Recommendation
Justice Varma’s plea also seeks to nullify a May 8 recommendation made by then Chief Justice of India Sanjiv Khanna. Khanna had recommended that Parliament initiate impeachment proceedings against Justice Varma following the inquiry panel’s findings.
Inquiry Panel’s Investigation Details
The investigation was carried out by a three-judge committee led by Chief Justice Sheel Nagu of the Punjab and Haryana High Court. The inquiry spanned ten days, during which the panel examined 55 witnesses and conducted an on-site visit to the scene of the accidental fire.
The fire occurred at approximately 11:35 PM on March 14 at Justice Varma’s official residence when he was serving as a sitting judge of the Delhi High Court. He has since been transferred to the Allahabad High Court.
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