Two attorneys will support the committee investigating corruption charges against Allahabad High Court judge Yashwant Varma. Rohan Singh and Sameeksha Dua have been designated as consultants for the three-member committee tasked with examining the basis for Justice Varma’s potential removal. Last month, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla acknowledged a multi-party notice for Justice Varma’s impeachment, following the discovery of burnt bundles of cash at his official residence on March 14. The committee, which includes Supreme Court judge Aravind Kumar, Justice Manindra Mohan Shrivastava, Chief Justice of the Madras High Court, and B V Acharya, a senior advocate from the Karnataka High Court, was formed to look into the allegations against Justice Varma.
The appointments of the two lawyers were announced on September 19 and will last for the duration of the committee’s tenure or until further notice. Justice Varma was transferred from the Delhi High Court back to the Allahabad High Court after the cash was found at his residence on March 14. An inquiry panel appointed by the Supreme Court, led by Chief Justice Sheel Nagu of the Punjab and Haryana High Court, investigated the situation. The panel’s report indicated that Justice Varma and his family had either covert or active control over the storage area where the money was located, demonstrating misconduct significant enough to justify his removal.
The then Chief Justice of India, Sanjiv Khanna, advised President Droupadi Murmu and Prime Minister Narendra Modi to initiate impeachment proceedings against Justice Varma.