In a significant ruling, the Supreme Court (SC) has dismissed a petition filed by Allahabad High Court judge Justice Yashwant Varma, challenging the legality of a parliamentary panel probing corruption charges against him. The SC asserted that the legal process cannot be employed to obstruct parliamentary procedures. A two-judge bench, comprising Justices Dipankar Datta and S C Sharma, delivered the verdict on Friday, January 16, 2026, after reserving its decision on January 8.
Justice Varma had contested the Lok Sabha Speaker's decision to admit a motion seeking his removal and questioned the validity of the three-member parliamentary committee established to investigate the corruption allegations. He argued that the procedure adopted in setting up the parliamentary panel was flawed and not in accordance with the Judges (Inquiry) Act of 1968. Specifically, Justice Varma contended that only the Lok Sabha Speaker and the Rajya Sabha Chairman are entitled to admit a motion for the removal of a judge from office. He also argued that since the motion for his removal was introduced in both houses, the three-member committee should have been constituted jointly by the Speaker of the Lok Sabha and the Chairman of the Rajya Sabha.
The Supreme Court rejected these arguments. The court stated that the Judges (Inquiry) Act should not be interpreted in a way that frustrates its objective and that constitutional safeguards for judges should not paralyze the removal process. The bench also noted that the Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairman was competent to reject the motion. The Lok Sabha's Secretary General submitted that the Rajya Sabha had not admitted the impeachment motion, as it was rejected by the Deputy Chairman on August 11, 2025, after the then Rajya Sabha Chairman, Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar, resigned in July.
The case stems from allegations of misconduct against Justice Varma, including the discovery of burnt currency notes at his official residence in New Delhi on March 14. Following these allegations, Justice Varma was transferred from the Delhi High Court to the Allahabad High Court. A three-member parliamentary inquiry committee was formed, including Supreme Court judge Justice Aravind Kumar, Madras High Court Chief Justice Manindra Mohan Shrivastava, and senior advocate B V Acharya. The panel submitted its report in May, concluding that Justice Varma was guilty of misconduct. After Justice Varma declined to resign, the Chief Justice of India forwarded the inquiry report and the judge's response to the President and the Prime Minister, paving the way for impeachment proceedings in Parliament.
With the Supreme Court's rejection of Justice Varma's petition, the parliamentary process regarding the impeachment motion against him can now proceed.
