On his final day, CJI Sanjiv Khanna addressed the cash row involving Justice Yashwant Varma. He emphasized judging both sides before reaching any decision.
New Delhi: Today, On his last day as the Chief Justice of India, Sanjiv Khanna addressed the serious matter involving Justice Yashwant Varma, a judge currently with the Allahabad High Court.
This controversy began after a large amount of unaccounted cash was allegedly found in a storeroom attached to Justice Varma’s bungalow following a fire incident on March 14, 2025.
Speaking to reporters for the first time about the issue, Chief Justice Sanjiv Khanna explained how courts are expected to function while deciding any case.
He said,
“Judicial thinking is decisive and a judge reviews the arguments before arriving at a decision related to any matter. In such a situation, we look at both the plus and minus arguments of a matter and then decide what was right and what was wrong.”
He further added,
“The future will tell whether it was right or wrong.”
This statement by the outgoing CJI comes after he had already taken a serious step in the matter. On May 8, 2025, he wrote a letter to the President of India, Droupadi Murmu, and Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
This letter was about the cash controversy linked to Justice Varma. It included a copy of the three-member committee report dated May 3, 2025, along with Justice Varma’s reply dated May 6, 2025.
The letter stated:
“Chief Justice of India, in terms of the In-House Procedure, has written to Hon’ble the President of India and Hon’ble the Prime Minister of India enclosing therewith copy of the 3-Member Committee report dated 03.05.2025 along with the letter/response dated 06.05.2025 received from Mr Justice Yashwant Varma.”
The details of the internal investigation report have not been made public yet. However, sources have said that the Chief Justice recommended that formal proceedings be initiated against Justice Varma.
Justice Yashwant Varma has strongly denied the allegations against him. He claimed that neither he nor any of his family members had placed any cash in the storeroom.
Justice Varma has refuted the allegations against him, and said no cash was ever placed in the storeroom either by him or any of his family members.
After the controversy broke out, Chief Justice Khanna had set up a three-member committee on March 22, 2025, to carry out an internal inquiry.
He also decided that the inquiry report by Chief Justice D K Upadhyaya of the Delhi High Court would be uploaded to the Supreme Court’s official website.
This report includes photographs and video evidence related to the discovery of the alleged cash stash.
The three-member inquiry committee consisted of:
- Justice Sheel Nagu, Chief Justice of the High Court of Punjab and Haryana
- Justice G.S. Sandhawalia, Chief Justice of the High Court of Himachal Pradesh and Karnataka
Following this, on March 24, 2025, the Supreme Court collegium recommended Justice Varma’s return to his parent High Court in Allahabad.
Later, on March 28, 2025, the collegium also requested the Chief Justice of the Allahabad High Court not to assign any judicial work to Justice Varma until further notice.
This case has raised major concerns within the judiciary and legal community. The actions taken by the Chief Justice demonstrate the seriousness with which such allegations are being treated.
It also shows how the in-house mechanism of the judiciary works when judges are accused of wrongdoing.
As the legal process continues, the nation now waits to see the outcome of the inquiry and any future action that may be taken.
Click Here to Read Previous Reports on Justice Yashwant Varma
