Chief Justice of India BR Gavai on Wednesday said that a special bench will be formed to hear a petition filed by Justice Yashwant Varma. Justice Varma has challenged the report of a three-judge in-house committee that found him guilty after a large amount of cash was discovered at his official residence. Chief Justice Gavai also informed the court that he had discussed the matter earlier with former CJI Sanjiv Khanna, so he will not be hearing the case.

The matter was brought up before a bench of Chief Justice Gavai and Justices K. Vinod Chandran and Joymalya Bagchi. Senior advocate Kapil Sibal, appearing for Justice Varma, asked for an urgent hearing. Chief Justice Gavai said, “It would not be proper for me to take up that matter. We will take a call and constitute a bench.”

Kapil Sibal appeared in the case along with senior advocates Mukul Rohatgi, Rakesh Dwivedi, Sidharth Luthra, Siddharth Aggarwal, and lawyers George Pothan Poothicote and Manisha Singh. Sibal said, “We have filed the petition on behalf of the Allahabad High Court judge. Some constitutional issues are involved. I request you to constitute a bench as soon as possible.”

Justice Varma was removed from judicial work and sent back to the Allahabad High Court in April this year. This happened after a fire broke out at his official house in Delhi. During the fire operation, firefighters found bundles of cash in March. This led to an internal inquiry.

A three-judge committee was formed, including Chief Justice Sheel Nagu (Punjab and Haryana High Court), Chief Justice GS Sandhawalia (Himachal Pradesh High Court), and Justice Anu Sivaraman (Karnataka High Court).

The panel spoke to over 50 witnesses and concluded that the money was under the “covert or active control” of Justice Varma or his family. It also said that he failed to give a proper explanation and instead claimed that he was being framed.

Justice Varma has now gone to the Supreme Court, questioning the panel’s report and the process followed. His petition says he was not allowed to see evidence, cross-examine witnesses, or access video footage. It also questions the move to recommend impeachment.

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