Justice Yashwant Varma has been indicted by an in-house judicial committee over allegations linked to the discovery of unaccounted cash at his residence. The committee’s report, submitted to Chief Justice of India (CJI) Sanjiv Khanna on May 4, recommends that Justice Varma be asked to resign. If he does not comply, sources indicate that the report will be sent to the President of India with a recommendation for his impeachment.
The CJI has reportedly given Justice Varma until Friday, May 9, to respond to the findings.
All about Justice Varma cash controversy case?
The controversy began on March 14, when a fire broke out at Justice Varma’s Delhi residence. While he and his wife were travelling in Madhya Pradesh, only his daughter and elderly mother were at home. Firefighters responding to the blaze reportedly found bundles of unaccounted cash. A video later surfaced, showing the cash burning, which raised public and legal scrutiny.
Following these revelations, CJI Khanna formed a three-member committee on March 22, comprising Punjab and Haryana High Court Chief Justice Sheel Nagu, Himachal High Court Chief Justice GS Sandhawalia, and Karnataka High Court Justice Anu Sivaraman. The panel began its investigation on March 25.
What Justice Varma said on the cash allegations?
Justice Varma has denied any wrongdoing, terming the incident a “conspiracy to frame him.” He submitted a formal response to the CJI and consulted a legal team comprising Senior Advocates Siddharth Agarwal, Arundhati Katju, and others.
Meanwhile, the Delhi Police Commissioner shared the video evidence with the Delhi High Court Chief Justice, which was later made public along with a preliminary report and Justice Varma’s reply—an unprecedented move by the Supreme Court.
Repatriation and suspension of judicial work
Following the controversy, Justice Varma was repatriated to his parent court, the Allahabad High Court, where he recently took oath again. However, the CJI has suspended his judicial duties pending further action. The Allahabad High Court Bar Association had earlier protested his return.
Due to the ongoing in-house inquiry, the Supreme Court declined to entertain a plea for registering an FIR against Justice Varma, stating that the internal probe must conclude first.