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Justice Yashwant Varma has approached the Supreme Court challenging the in-house panel’s recommendation for his impeachment.
Justice Yashwant Varma (Image: X)
Justice Yashwant Varma has moved the Supreme Court, challenging the findings by an in-house inquiry panel that recommended initiation of his impeachmentever since he had been at the centre of a row since the discovery of charred currency notes at his official residence in New Delhi in March this year.
In his petition, Justice Varma mentioned that the principles of natural justice were not complied with, and that a fair chance to present his case was not granted to him.
In his plea, Justice Varma also mentioned that then-Supreme Court Chief Justice Sanjeev Khanna denied him a personal hearing.
JUSTICE YASHWANT VARMA CONTROVERSY
A fire incident at Varma’s residence in the national capital in March this year, when he was a judge at the Delhi High Court, had led to the discovery of sacks of cash in the outhouse.
He was subsequently repatriated to the Allahabad High Courtand an in-house probe ordered by Khanna had indicted him.
Though Varma denied any wrongdoing, the enquiry panel, by a Supreme Court-constituted committee, had concluded Varma and his family members had “covert or active control” over the storeroom, where the cash was discovered, proving his misconduct serious enough to seek his removal.
After he declined to resign, Khanna referred the matter to the President and the Prime Minister.
JUSTICE VARMA CASE: WHAT DID THE PANEL REPORT FLAG?
A leaked confidential judicial inquiry report unveiled stark contradictions between testimonies of the domestic staff and independent witness accounts in the investigation into the fire and alleged burning of currency notes at Varma’s residence.
The internal inquiry, mandated by the Supreme Court, also flagged significant lapses in communication protocol and raised serious questions about transparency, oversight, and judicial accountability.
According to the 64-page report submitted to Sanjiv Khanna on May 4, 2025, by a three-member panel comprising Justices Sheel Nagu, GS Sandhawalia, and Anu Sivaraman, burnt cash was found in the storeroom of 30 Tughlak Crescent, Justice Varma’s official New Delhi residence.
Based on forensic and electronic evidence, the committee concluded that the currency was secretly removed during the early hours of March 15, just before the matter became public.
The inquiry also revealed a troubling pattern of uniformly exculpatory statements by Justice Varma’s household staff members.
Most of them, employed for several years and hailing from his native district, denied having seen any currency or suspicious activity, even during the fire.
The committee flagged their consistent denials as “not fully credible,” especially when contrasted with third-party accounts.
Ananya Bhatnagar, Correspondent at CNN-News18, reports on various legal issues and cases in lower courts and the Delhi High Court. He has covered the hanging of the Nirbhaya gang-rape convicts, JNU violence, De…Read More
Ananya Bhatnagar, Correspondent at CNN-News18, reports on various legal issues and cases in lower courts and the Delhi High Court. He has covered the hanging of the Nirbhaya gang-rape convicts, JNU violence, De… Read More
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