Judge linked to cash bundles case challenges inquiry report in Supreme Court ahead of removal motion

New Delhi: Justice Yashwant Varma, formerly of the Delhi High Court and currently serving at the Allahabad High Court, has approached the Supreme Court seeking to invalidate the findings of a three-member inquiry committee that accused him of holding large amounts of unaccounted cash at his official residence.

The petition comes days before the start of Parliament's Monsoon Session, during which the government is expected to introduce a motion for his removal. Justice Varma argued that the process adopted by the inquiry committee—constituted by then Chief Justice of India (CJI) Sanjiv Khanna—was flawed, stating he was not granted a fair opportunity to present his defence.

The inquiry panel, comprising Chief Justices Sheel Nagu (Punjab and Haryana), G S Sandhawalia (Himachal Pradesh), and Anu Sivaraman (Karnataka), concluded there was strong direct and electronic evidence confirming the presence of large amounts of cash in the judge’s residence at 30, Tughlaq Crescent, New Delhi. The discovery occurred after a fire broke out in the bungalow’s storeroom on the night of 14 March 2025.

Also read: Justice Yashwant Varma takes oath in private; Bar Association slams 'clandestine manner’

According to the report, Delhi Police Commissioner Sanjay Arora informed Union Home Minister Amit Shah about the incident within hours. Still photographs and videos of half-burnt ₹500 currency notes were captured by first responders around midnight. These visuals were also shared with Delhi High Court Chief Justice D K Upadhyay and eventually forwarded to the then CJI.

Justice Varma contended that the inquiry committee was an internal in-house mechanism and that the CJI had no authority to forward the report to the government. He also highlighted that the allegedly discovered cash was never seized by officials and may have been removed by unknown individuals, casting further doubt on the report’s conclusions.

Despite then CJI Khanna reportedly urging him to resign, Justice Varma declined. The report was subsequently sent to the Union government along with a recommendation for initiating impeachment proceedings.

The Supreme Court is expected to hear the matter even as political attention turns to Parliament, where the government may formally pursue Justice Varma’s removal.