How the probe against Justice Varma will unfold

Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla has constituted a three-member committee to investigate allegations against Justice Yashwant Varma in the "cash-at-home" controversy, after admitting a motion signed by 146 MPs calling for his removal.

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The panel comprises Supreme Court judge, Justice Aravind Kumar; Madras High Court Chief Justice Manindra Mohan Shrivastava; and senior advocate B V Acharya of the Karnataka High Court.

Birla said the committee would deliver its report "as early as possible", and that the removal motion would remain pending until then.

Bhavini Mishra explains the matter and what lies ahead:

What prompted the need for a new panel?

The move follows a Supreme Court in-house inquiry — set up by the then chief justice of India, Justice Sanjiv Khanna — which found Justice Varma guilty. The case centres on the alleged recovery of unaccounted cash from premises linked to the former Delhi high court judge. Justice Varma came under scrutiny after the discovery on March 14 of burnt cash in an outhouse of his official residence in the national capital. He was subsequently transferred to the Allahabad High Court, and an internal inquiry was initiated.

That in-house process, however, was limited to fact-finding and carried no binding effect on Parliament, according to experts.