Process of removal of Justice Yashwant Varma of Delhi High Court begins; inquiry committee to be formed

After receiving signatures from 152 Lok Sabha MPs, 50 Rajya Sabha members have also submitted notices for the impeachment of Justice Yashwant Varma. This follows allegations related to cash recovered from his residence during a fire incident. An inquiry committee will now be formed to investigate the charges.

New Delhi: The formal process of impeachment against Justice Yashwant Varma of the Delhi High Court has begun. Rajya Sabha Chairman and Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar told Parliament on Monday that he has received a notice under Articles 217(1)(b), 218, and 124(4) of the Constitution.

This notice has been signed by more than 50 members of the Rajya Sabha, fulfilling the condition of the required number. Apart from this, 152 MPs of the Lok Sabha have also given notice on the same subject.

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Dhankhar said that if the notices had come on the same day in both the houses, the process would have been different, but since the notices have been received on different days, he has instructed the Secretary General of the Rajya Sabha to take further action.

Now an inquiry committee will be formed that will review the allegations against Justice Varma. According to the Constitution, a judge of a high court can be removed on the ground of "misbehavior or incapacity" only if a resolution is passed by a two-thirds majority in both houses of Parliament.

Why is this case special?

The process of impeachment against judges in India is very rare. Earlier, proposals were also brought in Parliament in cases like Justice V. Ramaswami and Justice Soumitra Sen, but either they failed or the judges resigned. Therefore, Justice Varma's case is also considered important for the Constitution and the judiciary.

What are the allegations?

The allegations against Justice Varma came to light in March 2025, when a large amount of cash was recovered after a fire broke out in his government residence in Delhi. An in-house committee was constituted by the Supreme Court to investigate the matter.

The committee in its report held him guilty of violating judicial conduct and hiding money. The report called it "serious irregularities."

However, Justice Varma has filed a petition in the Supreme Court calling these allegations a political conspiracy and has termed the investigation as biased and illegal. He has also demanded the cancellation of the in-house report.

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