Allahabad High Court judge Justice Yashwant Verma, embroiled in the cash scandal, has received a shock from the Supreme Court. The Supreme Court has refused to interfere in the matter of forming an inquiry committee on behalf of the Lok Sabha. Justice Verma had filed a petition saying that the proposal to remove him from the post was presented in both the houses. In such a situation, according to the Judges Inquiry Act, 1968, a joint inquiry committee should have been formed by both the houses.
During the hearing of the case, the Supreme Court had noted that the MPs in the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha had given notice in the case of Justice Verma on the same day (July 21). The Deputy Chairman of the Rajya Sabha rejected the notice on 11 August. After this, on August 12, the Lok Sabha Speaker formed a 3-member committee under the chairmanship of Supreme Court Justice Arvind Kumar.
While hearing the case, Justice Dipankar Dutta and Justice Satish Chandra Sharma had asked what was the mistake in forming a committee by the Lok Sabha Speaker after rejecting the proposal by the Deputy Chairman of the Rajya Sabha? Senior lawyers Mukul Rohatgi and Siddharth Luthra, appearing for Justice Yashwant Verma, had argued that according to Article 91 of the Constitution, the powers of the Deputy Chairman are limited in the absence of the Chairman. He can run the House, but cannot take all the decisions that come under the jurisdiction of the Speaker.
The Supreme Court had reserved its decision on Justice Verma’s petition on Thursday, January 8. That day, the court had asked Justice Verma’s lawyers, “How is the formation of a committee by one House a prejudice against you? Even if the Lok Sabha has formed the committee, the proposal will still go to both the Houses. A judge can be removed only with the consent of both the Houses.”
Notes were found in March
On March 14, 2025, there was a fire at the Delhi house of Justice Yashwant Verma. At that time he was a judge of Delhi High Court. After the fire was extinguished, police and fire brigade personnel found a large amount of burnt cash there. After this controversy, Justice Verma was transferred to Allahabad High Court. Besides, he was also separated from judicial work. That means he is a judge but cannot hear any case.
Committee formed on 12 August
On the basis of the proposal received from the members of the Lok Sabha, Speaker Om Birla had constituted the inquiry committee on 12 August 2025. The chairman of this committee constituted under Section 3(2) of the Judges Inquiry Act, 1968 is Supreme Court judge Justice Arvind Kumar. Madras High Court judge Justice Manindra Mohan Srivastava and senior lawyer BV Acharya are its members. Justice Verma has to appear personally before the inquiry committee on January 24.
Also read:-
Mehul Choksi’s son also involved in money laundering, ED’s big claim
