New Delhi, February 26 Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla has reconstituted a three-member committee set up to investigate the grounds for the removal of Justice Yashwant Varma after stacks of cash were recovered from his residence here in March last year.
The committee has also been granted a three-month extension, starting from February 26, a Lok Sabha secretariat official said on Thursday.
The speaker had constituted the committee on August 12 last year after admitting a notice from several political parties seeking the removal of the Allahabad High Court judge, thereby initiating the impeachment process.
"In partial modification of the notification..., the Speaker, Lok Sabha, has reconstituted, effective from March 6, 2026, for the purpose of making an investigation into the grounds on which the removal of Justice Yashwant Varma of the Allahabad High Court is prayed for, a Committee consisting of the following three Members: 1. Hon'ble Justice Aravind Kumar, Supreme Court of India; 2. Hon'ble Justice Shree Chandrashekhar, Chief Justice of the Bombay High Court; and 3. Shri B.V. Acharya, Senior Advocate, Karnataka High Court," a notification issued by Lok Sabha Secretary General Utpal Kumar Singh said on Wednesday.
While Justices Kumar and Acharya were also part of the previous committee, Justice Chandrashekhar is a new member. He has replaced Madras High Court Chief Justice Manindra Mohan Shrivastava.
Justice Shrivastava retires on March 5 upon reaching the age of 62, the retirement age for high court judges.
Separately, sources in the Union law ministry said the investigation committee has sought the assistance of another lawyer to complete the task.
The committee proceedings are conducted in the manner in which courts function, where the accused have the right to defend themselves.
Following the recovery of cash, Justice Varma, then a judge of the Delhi High Court, was repatriated to the Allahabad High Court, his parent high court.
The Judges (Inquiry) Act, 1968 provides the legal framework in India for investigating allegations of misconduct or incapacity against Supreme Court and high court judges, and provides for an investigation committee to investigate the charges.
Besides the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC), the Supreme Court and high court judges can only be removed by Parliament, as per the legal framework prescribed in the Judges (Inquiry) Act.
So far, no judge or CEC has been removed, although there were attempts in the past to sack two high court judges.