Judicial Committee Validates Allegations Against Justice Yashwant Varma
A judicial inquiry, comprising a three-member panel, has substantiated the allegations against Justice Yashwant Varma of the Allahabad High Court. The charges include the possession of significant unexplained cash at his official residence, interference with material evidence, and providing evasive explanations during the inquiry. Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla presented the committee’s findings to the Lok Sabha on Wednesday.
Incident and Allegations
The investigation focused on an incident involving the discovery of burnt and partially burnt ₹500 notes after a fire at Justice Varma’s official residence in New Delhi. This event took place on the night of March 14, 2025, while Justice Varma was serving at the Delhi High Court. The inquiry revealed that there was a substantial presence of unexplained ₹500 notes in the storeroom, which Justice Varma could not satisfactorily account for.
Fire service personnel and police officers testified about the presence of bundles of notes scattered across the room. Fire operator Ankit Sehwag noted the extensive spread of these notes, while another firefighter and a police officer confirmed seeing heaps of burnt notes.
Lack of Seizure and Inventory
Despite the visual evidence, the currency was neither seized nor counted, and no inventory was prepared. The fire, which allegedly uncovered unaccounted cash, occurred when Justice Varma and his wife were traveling, leaving only his daughter and mother at home. A video emerged post-incident, showing the burning bundles of cash, leading to corruption allegations against Justice Varma.
Judicial Inquiry and Findings
Following the allegations, the Chief Justice of India initiated an in-house probe and established a three-member committee on March 22 to investigate. The committee, comprising Supreme Court Judge Justice Aravind Kumar, Supreme Court Justice Shree Chandrashekhar, and Senior Advocate BV Acharya, submitted its report to the Chief Justice on May 4.
The Chief Justice, upon reviewing the report, advised Justice Varma to resign or face impeachment. Justice Varma’s refusal to resign resulted in the report being forwarded to the President and Prime Minister for further action. As a consequence, Justice Varma was returned to his parent High Court, and his judicial duties were suspended.
Further Developments and Resignation
In August 2025, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla initiated removal proceedings against Justice Varma by forming a panel to investigate the allegations further. The initial committee included Justice Aravind Kumar, Madras High Court Chief Justice Manindra Mohan Shrivastava, and Senior Advocate BV Acharya. Following Justice Shrivastava’s retirement, Justice Shree Chandrashekhar was appointed as his replacement.
Justice Varma tendered his resignation in April, which remains pending acceptance. The committee proceeded with its report, highlighting that the police and fire personnel were apprehensive due to the involvement of a sitting judge’s residence.
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Conclusions and Observations
The committee could not ascertain the exact amount involved but confirmed the presence of a substantial quantity of cash. It rejected Justice Varma’s claims regarding the storeroom’s accessibility, citing that it was within his compound. The report criticized the lack of immediate sealing of the storeroom and the subsequent cleaning activities conducted by staff after the firefighters left.
Justice Varma’s explanations were deemed evasive and misleading, especially since no formal complaints of conspiracy or theft were filed. He withdrew from the proceedings before presenting any defense evidence or witnesses.
Senior Advocates Sidharth Luthra and Siddharth Aggarwal represented Justice Varma, while Additional Solicitor General Aishwarya Bhati and Senior Advocate Rajakumar Bhaskar Thakare assisted in the case presentation under the Judges (Inquiry) Act, 1968.
