Chief Justice of India BR Gavai on Wednesday recused himself from hearing a plea filed by Allahabad High Court judge Justice Yashwant Varma challenging the findings of an in-house inquiry panel that held him guilty of misconduct in a cash recovery case.

“It will not be possible for me to take up this matter because I was also part of the committee. We will list it. I will have to constitute a bench,” the CJI said, responding to senior advocate Kapil Sibal, who sought an urgent hearing.

The matter was being heard by a bench comprising CJI Gavai, Justice K Vinod Chandran, and Justice Joymalya Bagchi.

Justice Varma Seeks To Quash Panel’s Report

Justice Varma has sought to quash the panel’s report and a subsequent May 8 recommendation by then Acting CJI Sanjiv Khanna, urging Parliament to initiate impeachment proceedings.

The in-house panel, headed by Punjab and Haryana High Court Chief Justice Sheel Nagu, conducted a 10-day inquiry, examined 55 witnesses, and visited the site of a fire at Justice Varma’s official residence, where unaccounted cash was reportedly discovered.

A total of 208 MPs, 145 from the Lok Sabha and 63 from the Rajya Sabha, have supported a petition seeking Varma’s removal. Among the signatories are Rahul Gandhi, Anurag Thakur, Supriya Sule, KC Venugopal, and Ravi Shankar Prasad.

The motion, filed under Articles 124, 217, and 218 of the Constitution, awaits consideration by the Speaker and Rajya Sabha Chairman.