The Supreme Court on Thursday dismissed a plea by Allahabad High Court Justice Yashwant Varma, who had protested against the validity of an internal investigation report which held him guilty of misconduct in relation to the case of unexplained cash discovery.
A three-judge bench of Justices Dipankar Datta and AG Masih upheld both the in-house panel's findings and the actions of the then Chief Justice of India (CJI), saying the procedure adopted was legal and constitutional in nature.
Justice Varma had sought to overturn the panel’s conclusions as well as the CJI’s recommendation to the President and Prime Minister, which called for his removal from office. The apex court, however, dismissed his appeal, reinforcing the legitimacy of the disciplinary process.
In a connected case, the court also rejected a different petition of an advocate, who had asked for the registration of a criminal case on the charges. The bench decided there was no reason for a criminal investigation.
The Supreme Court noted Justice Varma's conduct "does not inspire confidence" and saw no substance in entertaining his challenge.
Reiterating the integrity of the in-house probe process, the court said the panel of judges constituted under the previous CJI did follow correct procedure. It also made it clear that submitting the report of the panel to the Prime Minister and President with a suggestion for removal was within constitutional limits.
The court had earlier observed that CJI is not a "post office" in the case of judicial misconduct but has a responsibility to act in the interest of the country.
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