Allahabad High Court judge Justice Yashwant Varma told Parliamentary panel that no cash was found at his New Delhi residence during the March 2025 fire and clarified he was not present when the incident occurred.
Allahabad High Court judge Justice Yashwant Varma informed a Parliamentary panel that no cash was discovered at his official residence in New Delhi during the fire incident in March 2025.
He stated,
“I wasn’t present when the fire took place. No cash was recovered from my residence. I have absolutely no role in this.”
Earlier, On January 7, he opposed the establishment of an inquiry committee by the Lok Sabha Speaker to investigate corruption allegations against him in the Supreme Court.
Justice Varma was returned from the Delhi High Court to the Allahabad High Court after bundles of burnt currency notes were found at his official residence on March 14, 2025. The Supreme Court agreed to hear Justice Varma’s plea against the inquiry committee’s formation on December 16, 2025, issuing notices to the Lok Sabha Speaker and the Secretaries-General of both Houses of Parliament.
Previously, former Chief Justice of India Sanjiv Khanna had initiated an internal inquiry by forming a three-member committee to look into the matter. The committee delivered its report on May 4, 2025, finding Justice Varma guilty of misconduct.
After Justice Varma refused to resign, the Chief Justice of India submitted the report along with the judge’s response to the President and Prime Minister, paving the way for impeachment proceedings.
Subsequently, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla admitted a multi-party motion for Justice Varma’s removal on August 12 and established a three-member inquiry committee, which includes Supreme Court judge Justice Aravind Kumar, Madras High Court Chief Justice Manindra Mohan Shrivastava, and senior advocate BV Acharya.
A fire broke out at Justice Varma’s home on the evening of March 14, during which unaccounted cash was inadvertently found by firefighters.
A video depicting the recovery of the burnt cash was reportedly shared by the Delhi Police Commissioner with the Chief Justice of the High Court.
As per sources, At the time of the incident, Justice Varma and his wife were traveling in Madhya Pradesh, leaving only their daughter and elderly mother at home. On March 21, the then-Chief Justice of India (CJI) initiated an internal investigation into the allegations, appointing a three-member committee to carry out the inquiry.