SC panel finds 'undeniable' proof of cash found in Justice Varma's home; seeks his removal
Testimonies, videos, photographs established "a large pile" of Rs 500 notes was found on storeroom floor; judge and his family had exclusive access to storeroom
In a significant development, a three-member panel of senior judges has recommended the removal of Justice Yashwant Varma, a sitting judge of the Allahabad High Court, after "undeniably” establishing that a substantial amount of cash, reportedly stacked 1.5 feet high, was recovered from his official residence in New Delhi.
Justice Varma courted controversy when an accidental fire at his government residence, 30 Tuglak Crescent, in Delhi on March 14, led to the shocking discovery of large quantities of burnt and partially burnt currency notes. The judge was not in the house when the fire had broken out.
A three-judge panel was constituted to investigate the allegations against the judge by the CJI Sanjiv Khanna on March 22. According to news reports, the panel found "sufficient substance" in the allegations against the judge.
Also read: Who is Justice Yashwant Varma, the Delhi HC judge embroiled in cash-in-home row?
Panel's findings
For ten days, the panel had examined 55 witnesses, including Justice Varma's daughter, and got testimonies from fire as well as police personnel, videos and photographs which showed "a large pile" of Rs 500 notes on the storeroom floor. At least 10 witnesses examined by the panel admitted seeing burnt or half-burnt currency notes.
The Leaflet, quoting from the report said that one witness had told the panel, "I was shocked and surprised by such a large amount of cash it was the first time I saw anything like it in my life." The eyewitnesses also flagged the judge “unnatural” conduct, including his failure to report the incident.
No plausible explanation
Further, the panel noted that there was no plausible explanation for the judge's claim that he was clueless about the money lying in his house. The report asked that if there was any conspiracy, why did the judge not file a complaint or inform the Chief Justice of the High Court or the Chief Justice of India?
Also read: 'Cash in storeroom not mine,' claims Justice Varma as SC shares probe details
Moreover, Justice Varma and his family were the only ones who had exclusive access and control to the storeroom, where the fire broke out and the cash was found. Due to strong inferential evidence, the panel said that they also found burnt cash/money was removed from the store room during the wee hours of 15.03.2025 from his residence.
Though the domestic staff denied seeing the cash, the panel felt they had no reason to doubt the independent accounts of police and fire officials.
No conspiracy
The committee also rejected Justice Varma’s defence that the episode was a conspiracy to malign his image. According to the report, currency notes were seen by multiple people and recorded in real time, said reports. Further, the committee stated, “It is implausible they were planted to frame him."
The panel also said Justice Varma’s private secretary Rajinder Singh Karki and his daughter Diya Varma also played a role in the “destruction of evidence or cleaning of the spot.”
Unjust, says judge
After this controversy broke out, Justice Varma was transferred back to the Allahabad High Court and has not been assigned any judicial work. However, the judge maintains that he is innocent and has not resigned neither has he opted for voluntary retirement.
He termed the entire enquiry process as "fundamentally unjust".
Also read: Justice Yashwant Varma case: 'It's a litmus test for judiciary'
On their part, the three-judge probe panel video recorded every statement “in order to ensure that the veracity of the same throughout could not be challenged at a subsequent point of time and also for confirmation whether such statements were in sum and substance recorded correctly”.
The panel comprised Chief Justice of the Punjab and Haryana High Court Sheel Nagu, Chief Justice of the Himachal Pradesh High Court GS Sandhawalia and Karnataka High Court Judge Anu Sivaraman.