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SC Panel Visits Justice Yashwant Varma’s Residence: Who Are the Three Judges on the Inquiry Committee?

  A three-member inquiry committee, appointed by the Supreme Court, commenced its investigation into Delhi High Court Judge Justice Yashwant Varma’s conduct, visiting his home on Tuesday afternoon. Justice Varma is facing scrutiny after bundles of burnt currency were allegedly found at his residence during a fire. The inquiry panel includes Chief Justice Sheel Nagu of the Punjab and Haryana High Court, Chief Justice G.S. Sandhawalia of the Himachal Pradesh High Court, and Justice Anu Sivaraman of the Karnataka High Court. The committee spent approximately 45 minutes at Justice Varma’s residence. Inquiry Committee Members: Justice Sheel Nagu, Chief Justice of Punjab and Haryana High Court Justice Nagu launched his legal career in 1987 and focused primarily on civil and constitutional cases at the Madhya Pradesh High Court's Jabalpur bench before becoming an additional judge in 2011. He was promoted to a permanent judge in 2013. In May 2024, he was appointed Acting Chief Justice of t...
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Why Nitish Cabinet expansion has sparked JD(U) fears of BJP play for ‘supremacy’

 The induction of seven new ministers, all from the BJP, into Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar's Cabinet appears to have created uneasiness in the state’s ruling NDA coalition, with a section raising concerns that it has “upset” the power balance ahead of the Assembly elections due in six months.

While some leaders of the Nitish-led JD(U) argue that the Cabinet expansion was long pending since the BJP had not filled the Cabinet vacancies in its share for over a year, others in the party pointed out that the BJP’s decision to appoint ministers from the castes considered to be the JD(U)’s support base, did not go down well with the coalition, especially at a time when the allies have started their poll preparations. BJP sources said it was a move to “reinforce” the party’s “superiority” ahead of the seat-sharing discussions and strategy planning.

The expansion inducted three ministers belonging to forward castes – Rajputs, Bhumihars and Vaishya (Baniya) – and one each from Other Backward Classes (OBCs) and Extremely Backward Classes (EBCs). It is being projected as the BJP’s attempt to do caste balancing in its state leadership.