A Supreme Court panel has found serious misconduct by Justice Varma after 10 eyewitnesses confirmed seeing cash at his residence. The report recommends his removal, citing strong evidence from 55 testimonies.
New Delhi: Today, On May 30, A serious controversy has hit the Indian judiciary after a special inquiry panel formed by the Supreme Court found strong evidence of misconduct against Justice Yashwant Varma of the Allahabad High Court.
The inquiry was ordered after burnt bundles of cash were discovered at his official residence in New Delhi following a mysterious fire incident on March 14, 2025.
According to reliable sources, the three-judge panel has now submitted a detailed report to the then Chief Justice of India, Sanjiv Khanna, which was later forwarded to the President of India and the Prime Minister earlier this month. The report has recommended that Justice Varma be removed from his post.
The committee consisted of senior judges: Punjab and Haryana High Court Chief Justice Sheel Nagu, Himachal Pradesh High Court Chief Justice G. S. Sandhawalia, and Karnataka High Court Justice Anu Sivaraman.
These judges examined all the available evidence carefully and also recorded the statements of 55 witnesses over several weeks.
Sources familiar with the report said,
“The three-member committee… meticulously examined the evidence and testimony of 55 witnesses over several weeks, sources added.”
The inquiry findings, finalised on May 3, make it very clear that a large amount of burnt currency was found in a storeroom inside the official bungalow at 30 Tughlak Crescent, which had been allotted to Justice Yashwant Varma.
According to sources close to the inquiry,
“the cash was found in a storeroom at 30 Tughlak Crescent, the official residence allotted to Justice Varma, according to sources.”
The panel further noted that access to the storeroom was not random and was controlled either directly or indirectly by Justice Varma and his family.
“Access to the storeroom was under the ‘covert or active control’ of Justice Varma and his family, thereby establishing a direct link between the judge and the cache of cash.”
The report goes on to say that the burnt cash was likely taken out of the storeroom in the early hours of March 15, just hours after the fire took place. This conclusion is based on the panel’s analysis of both direct and electronic evidence gathered during the investigation.
“The committee, weighing ‘direct and electronic evidence on record,’ expressed a firm view that the allegations of misconduct raised in the letter from the then Chief Justice of India dated March 22, 2025, are ‘sufficiently substantiated’ and serious enough to call for the initiation of removal proceedings against Justice Varma, sources said.”
The investigation was wide-ranging. The judges spoke to officials from several departments and also questioned family members and staff connected with Justice Varma.
Among those who gave their statements were 11 officers from the Delhi Fire Services, various ranks of Delhi Police officials, three personal security officers of the judge, CRPF static guards, household staff, and members of the court staff.
Justice Varma himself was questioned, along with his daughter, who was at home when the fire occurred.
One of the most crucial parts of the inquiry was the testimony of ten eyewitnesses. These individuals confirmed that they had seen large amounts of cash inside the storeroom before the fire.
Their statements supported the main allegation that there was a big pile of money kept in the judge’s residence without any proper explanation.
“Ten eyewitnesses testified about the presence of cash in the storeroom, corroborating the central allegation that Justice Varma’s residence housed a large amount of currency under questionable circumstances, sources said.”
The report raises extremely serious concerns about the judge’s integrity. The panel felt that the presence of such a large amount of money without any legitimate explanation, especially at the residence of a High Court judge, reflects very poorly on the judiciary.
“The presence of such unexplained cash in a judge’s official residence, coupled with his failure to provide a satisfactory explanation for its source, strikes at the very core of his integrity, say sources.”
The panel ended its report by clearly stating that the matter is serious enough to start removal proceedings.
“The panel’s recommendation to pursue removal proceedings underscores the seriousness of the misconduct and sends a clear message that the highest standards of probity must be upheld within the judiciary, say analysts.”
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