Lok Sabha secretariat has appointed two consultants — advocates Rohand Singh and Sameeksha Dua — to assist the three-member jurists’ panel probing justice Yashwant Varma’s involvement in the discovery of sacks of charred currency at his official residence in Delhi earlier this year.
In an internal circular issued on September 19, it is said that the two advocates would “assist the Committee constituted under the Judges (Inquiry) Act, 1968, for the purpose of making an investigation into the grounds on which the removal of Justice Yashwant Varma of the Allahabad High Court is sought”.
The circular added that the appointments, effective from September 19, are “co-terminus with the tenure of the Committee or until further orders, whichever is earlier”.
According to an official of the Lower House, the two advocates would help the panel in various ways, including making drafts and other documents and coordinating with the Lok Sabha secretariat.
“They will provide secretarial help as the matter is purely legal and technical,” said a second official.
Justice Varma, a former judge of the Delhi high court, came under scrutiny in March this year after sacks of charred currency were recovered from his official residence following a fire. He was stripped of judicial work and repatriated to his parent high court at Allahabad soon after. The then Chief Justice of Delhi high court had also flagged the incident to then Chief Justice of India Sanjeev Khanna who constituted a three-member inquiry panel.
On May 3, the committee submitted its report, concluding that justice Varma was liable for misconduct. Justice Khanna had subsequently referred the matter to President Droupadi Murmu and Prime Minister Narendra Modi, recommending Varma’s removal after he refused to resign.
On August 12, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla formed a three-member panel, comprising Supreme Court judge Arvind Kumar, chief justice of Madras high court Manindra Mohan Srivastava and jurist BV Acharya from Karnataka, to investigate the matter after 146 members of Parliament endorsed an impeachment motion against Justice Varma. Birla said the motion would be considered after the committee submits its report.
The panel is expected to submit the report during the winter session of Parliament. If the report holds justice Varma guilty, the Lok Sabha would take up the notice for his impeachment.
Justice Varma has denied all wrongdoing, terming the case a conspiracy, and in a letter to CJI Khanna on May 6, rejected the latter’s suggestion to resign or opt for voluntary retirement.
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