CJI Sanjiv Khanna Forwards Inquiry Report On Justice Yashwant Varma To President And PM | Allegations Of Unauthorised Cash Prima Facie Found Credible
Kiran Raj
Chief Justice of India Sanjiv Khanna has forwarded to the President of India and the Prime Minister the report submitted by a three-judge panel that held an in-house inquiry against Justice Yashwant Varma concerning the alleged discovery of unauthorised cash currency notes at his official residence. Justice Varma’s response has also been sent to the President and the Prime Minister.
"Chief Justice of India, in terms of the In-House Procedure, has written to Hon'ble the President of India and Hon'ble the Prime Minister of India enclosing therewith copy of the 3-Member Committee report dated 03.05.2025 along with the letter/response dated 06.05.2025 received from Mr Justice Yashwant Varma," stated the Supreme Court in a press release. The forwarding of the inquiry report suggests that the allegations have, prima facie, been found to be credible.
Under the in-house procedure, if the inquiry finds substance in the allegations, the CJI advises the judge to resign or seek voluntary retirement. Should the judge decline, the CJI then refers the matter to the President and the Prime Minister for possible removal proceedings under Article 124(4) read with Article 218 of the Constitution.
The controversy dates back to March 22, when Chief Justice Sanjiv Khanna constituted the committee after reports emerged about the accidental discovery of a huge stash of cash from a store-room at Justice Varma’s official residence during a firefighting operation. At the time, Justice Varma was serving as a judge of the Delhi High Court. Subsequently, he was transferred to the Allahabad High Court, his parent court, and judicial work was withdrawn from him as per CJI's directions.
The decision to initiate an in-house inquiry followed a preliminary report from the Chief Justice of the Delhi High Court, Justice DK Upadhyay, who stated that "the entire matter warrants a deeper probe." In his reply to the Delhi High Court Chief Justice, Justice Varma denied storing any cash, asserting that the store-room was unlocked, accessible to staff, and that he was not in Delhi when the fire broke out. He further claimed that no cash had been seized and described the allegations as part of a "conspiracy to frame" him.
In a step towards public transparency, the Supreme Court has uploaded reports and documents related to the incident, including photos and videos of burning cash.
