Justice Yashwant Varma indicted in cash recovery probe; faces resignation or impeachment

has been indicted by an in-house committee constituted to examine allegations of unaccounted cash discovered at his residence earlier this year.

The findings of the probe have been submitted to Chief Justice of India (CJI) Sanjiv Khanna, with sources indicating that Justice Varma has been asked to resign. Failing that, the matter is likely to be escalated to the President with a recommendation for his impeachment, reported.

The committee, formed by CJI Khanna on 22 March, included Chief Justice Sheel Nagu of the Punjab and Haryana High Court, Chief Justice GS Sandhawalia of the Himachal Pradesh High Court, and Justice Anu Sivaraman of the Karnataka High Court. Their investigation commenced on 25 March and concluded with the submission of their report on 4 May.

The controversy stems from an incident on 14 March, when a fire broke out at Justice Varma’s Delhi residence. At the time, the judge and his wife were reportedly away in Madhya Pradesh, while only their daughter and elderly mother were present at the home.

Firefighters responding to the blaze allegedly discovered a significant amount of cash at the scene. A video clip showing bundles of currency burning in the fire subsequently surfaced and intensified public scrutiny.

Justice Varma denied any wrongdoing, characterising the incident as part of a conspiracy to malign him. Nevertheless, the CJI ordered an internal inquiry following the circulation of the video, which had initially been shared with the High Court Chief Justice by the Delhi Police Commissioner.

In an unusual step, the made both the preliminary report and Justice Varma’s response publicly available.

Justice Varma was recently repatriated to his parent court, the Allahabad High Court, where he took a fresh oath of office. However, the Chief Justice of India has withheld his judicial responsibilities pending the outcome of the investigation.

His return to the Allahabad bench has not been without controversy, prompting a strike by the local Bar Association in protest.

The CJI has reportedly given Justice Varma until Friday, 9 May, to submit his response. Legal experts suggest that if he chooses not to resign voluntarily, the Supreme Court is prepared to send the committee’s findings to the President, initiating the constitutional process for impeachment.

While the in-house inquiry progressed, the Supreme Court declined to entertain a petition seeking the registration of a First Information Report (FIR) against Justice Varma, citing the ongoing investigation.

In response to the allegations, Justice Varma has sought legal counsel from a team of senior advocates, including Siddharth Agarwal, Arundhati Katju, Tara Narula, Stuti Gujral, and one additional lawyer, all of whom were seen visiting his residence soon after the inquiry began.