Justice Varma used the anonymised title “XXX” in the petition, a practice typically applied in cases involving sexual assault survivors or minors.
Justice Yashwant Varma, currently facing a removal motion in Parliament after bundles of cash were recovered from his official residence in Delhi, has filed a petition in the Supreme Court without disclosing his identity. The plea, titled “XXX vs Union of India”, challenges the findings of an in-house inquiry panel and the recommendation by the then Chief Justice of India for his removal.
A Supreme Court bench of Justices Dipankar Datta and Augustine George Masih is scheduled to hear the matter today.
Justice Varma used the anonymised title “XXX” in the petition, a practice typically applied in cases involving sexual assault survivors or minors. The Supreme Court has previously directed that the identities of such petitioners remain protected, including in judgments.
In the plea, Justice Varma alleged that the inquiry committee reversed the burden of proof, effectively requiring him to disprove the allegations made against him. He claimed the process was biased and driven by a “preconceived narrative,” and that it compromised procedural fairness. The petition argued that the panel reached adverse conclusions without providing a full and fair opportunity to be heard.
Filed on July 17 and registered by the Supreme Court on July 24 after procedural corrections, the civil writ petition is listed as the 699th of the year. The Centre is named as the first respondent, while the Supreme Court is the second.
The three-judge inquiry panel, led by Chief Justice Sheel Nagu of the Punjab and Haryana High Court, conducted a 10-day investigation into the March 14 fire at Justice Varma’s Delhi residence. The panel examined 55 witnesses and visited the site where a large amount of half-burnt cash was discovered in a storeroom.
The committee concluded that Justice Varma and his family had covert or direct control over the area where the cash was found, establishing grounds for misconduct serious enough to warrant removal.
