VIDEO EXPLAINER | 9 NOVEMBER 2026
What happened
As per the video, Justice Yashwant Varma resigned from the Allahabad High Court in April 2026, yet the inquiry into him did not stop. The inquiry committee found all three charges against him proved. This is why the video opens with the line that a judge resigned and the inquiry still held him guilty. The status below is as of 5 Nov 2026, as per the video.
The matter began in March 2025, when a fire broke out at his official residence. As per the video, burnt Rs 500 notes were found in the storeroom.
The then Chief Justice, Justice Khanna, set up an in-house committee of 3 judges. That in-house committee recommended removal, and its report was sent to the President and the Prime Minister.
In August 2025, Speaker Om Birla admitted the removal notice and constituted a statutory committee, which is a committee formed in Parliament under the law. In January 2026 the Court said there was no illegality in the Speaker’s decision, which means the decision was in order.
Justice Varma then resigned in April 2026. Even so, the statutory committee said that the resignation does not end the statutory inquiry that is going on in Parliament.
The three charges
The first two charges were about unexplained currency and tampering with evidence.
The third charge was that he gave evasive and misleading explanations to the committee.
As per the video, the committee found all three charges proved. The report reached the Speaker in May 2026 and was laid before the House in August.
The report also records that, after the resignation, the question of removal has become a moot question. A moot question is one that no longer needs a practical decision, because the situation has changed. The report therefore treats removal as moot, while the committee had earlier held that the inquiry itself continues despite the resignation.
How a judge is removed: Article 124(4)
The video explains the removal rule through Article 124(4). Under it, both Houses of Parliament have to act. The requirement, as explained in the video, is a majority of the total membership of the House together with the support of two-thirds of the members present and voting.
The inquiry committee has three members: one Supreme Court judge, one High Court Chief Justice and one distinguished jurist.
Everything in this story sits on that framework. The in-house committee was a first step, the Speaker’s admission of the notice started the statutory process, and the statutory committee then looked at the charges.
An earlier example: Justice Soumitra Sen
The video also recalls Justice Soumitra Sen, who resigned in 2011 after a vote in the House. Because he resigned at that stage, the process could not be completed there.
The video ends with an important exam point: so far, no judge in India has been removed by Parliament.
Constitutional / Legal / Institutional framework
- Article 124(4): removal needs both Houses of Parliament to act, with a majority of the total membership of the House and two-thirds of the members present and voting.
- In-house committee: a committee of 3 judges, set up by the then Chief Justice, Justice Khanna. It recommended removal and the report went to the President and the Prime Minister.
- Statutory inquiry committee: one Supreme Court judge, one High Court Chief Justice and one distinguished jurist. It was constituted after Speaker Om Birla admitted the notice in August 2025.
- Precedent point: Justice Soumitra Sen resigned in 2011 after a vote in the House, so the process was not completed.
CLAT angle
- Know the two stages separately: the in-house committee of 3 judges (set up by the then Chief Justice) and the statutory committee formed in Parliament.
- Article 124(4) can be asked as a numbers question: majority of total membership plus two-thirds of the members present and voting.
- The composition of the inquiry committee (a Supreme Court judge, a High Court Chief Justice and a distinguished jurist) is a ready one-line fact.
- A resignation does not automatically end a statutory inquiry, as per the committee in this story, while the report calls the removal question moot.
- Fact-recall: no judge has been removed by Parliament in India so far.
Key facts
| Fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| March 2025 | Fire at the official residence; burnt Rs 500 notes found in the storeroom |
| August 2025 | Speaker Om Birla admits removal notice and constitutes the statutory committee |
| January 2026 | The Court says there was no illegality in the Speaker’s decision |
| April 2026 | Justice Varma resigns from the Allahabad High Court |
| May 2026 | Report reaches the Speaker |
| August | Report laid before the House |
| Charges | Unexplained currency, tampering with evidence, evasive and misleading explanations |
| Article 124(4) | Majority of total membership and two-thirds of members present and voting |
| 2011 | Justice Soumitra Sen resigns after a vote in the House |
| Removals so far | No judge removed by Parliament in India |
Mnemonic / memory hook
Remember the order: House, Committee, Charges, Exit.
Fire in March 2025, in-house committee of 3 judges, Speaker admits the notice in August 2025, three charges proved, resignation in April 2026. Article 124(4): total-membership majority plus two-thirds present and voting.
Why this matters for exams
Questions on this topic often test the sequence of events and the constitutional rule together. If you can place the in-house committee, the Speaker’s admission of the notice, the statutory committee and the resignation in order, most sequence questions become easy.
The second area is the rule itself. Article 124(4) asks for action by both Houses of Parliament, and the numbers are a majority of total membership with two-thirds of those present and voting. The video also gives the three-member composition of the inquiry committee, which is a common short fact.
The third area is the status words. A resignation, a moot question and a continuing inquiry are different ideas, and the video uses each of them. Read the wording of a question carefully before you choose the option.
Finally, remember the closing point of the video: no judge has been removed by Parliament in India so far. Justice Soumitra Sen is the example the video gives of a case that could not be completed because of a resignation.
Source
This article summarises the video explainer and uses only what the video states. Status is as of 5 Nov 2026; check official parliamentary and court records for later changes.
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