Overview

• A bench of Justices Dipankar Datta and AG Masih rejected Justice Yashwant Varma’s petition against the in-house panel report and a separate FIR plea, finding no basis for criminal prosecution.
• The court held that the extra-statutory in-house procedure and CJI Sanjiv Khanna’s May recommendation to the President and Prime Minister met constitutional standards.
• Justices noted that Varma’s conduct did not inspire confidence and ruled that the omission of photo and video uploads did not undermine the inquiry’s legality.
• The judgment underscores the Chief Justice’s authority to initiate removal recommendations to preserve judicial integrity when misconduct is substantiated.
• With 145 Lok Sabha and 63 Rajya Sabha MPs having filed impeachment notices, the decision now shifts the final removal process to Parliament.