The Supreme Court on Monday agreed to urgently list a petition seeking the registration of an FIR against Justice Yashwant Varma of the Allahabad High Court in connection with an alleged cash recovery incident.

A bench headed by Chief Justice B.R. Gavai and Justice Augustine George Masih took note of the request made by advocate and petitioner Mathews Nedumpara, who urged for an expedited hearing. The CJI remarked that the plea could be listed as early as Tuesday if the petition’s defects were rectified.

“It can be listed tomorrow if defects are cured,” said the Chief Justice.

However, Nedumpara informed the bench that he would not be available on Tuesday and requested a listing for Wednesday instead. The bench agreed, provided that any procedural defects were resolved by then.

The petition follows an in-house inquiry that found the allegations against Justice Varma to be prima facie credible. Following the inquiry, the then Chief Justice of India, Sanjiv Khanna, reportedly urged Justice Varma to step down. Upon his refusal, Justice Khanna is said to have written to President Droupadi Murmu and Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Filed by Nedumpara along with three other petitioners, the plea calls for the immediate initiation of criminal proceedings, arguing that while internal inquiries may result in disciplinary action within the judiciary, they do not replace the need for a criminal investigation under the law.

The same petitioners had previously approached the Supreme Court in March, challenging the internal probe and seeking a police investigation. At the time, the Court had dismissed the plea as premature, noting that the inquiry was still ongoing.

With the internal proceedings now concluded, the petitioners contend that further delay in initiating criminal proceedings is unjustified.