Justice Yashwant Varma Cash Row | In-House Committee Completes Probe And Submits Report To Chief Justice Of India | Allegations Probed After Bundles Of Cash Found During Fire Incident
Kiran Raj
An in-house committee formed by Chief Justice of India Sanjiv Khanna to inquire into allegations against Justice Yashwant Varma has submitted its report to the Supreme Court. According to a statement issued by the apex court, the report was submitted to CJI Khanna on May 4.
The committee comprised Punjab and Haryana High Court Chief Justice Sheel Nagu, Himachal Pradesh High Court Chief Justice GS Sandhawalia, and Karnataka High Court Justice Anu Sivaraman. It was constituted to examine allegations relating to the discovery of cash at Justice Varma’s residence. The inquiry began on March 25 and the report was finalized on May 3, before being handed over to the Chief Justice of India on May 4.
"The three-member Committee consisting of Mr Justice Sheel Nagu, Chief Justice of the High Court of Punjab and Haryana, Mr Justice G.S. Sandhawalia, Chief Justice of the High Court of Himachal Pradesh and Ms Justice Anu Sivaraman, Judge of the High Court of Karnataka, constituted for conducting an inquiry into the allegations against Mr Justice Yashwant Varma, a sitting Judge, has submitted its report dated 03.05.2025 to the Chief Justice of India on 04.05.2025," the Supreme Court stated.
The inquiry follows an incident on March 14 when a fire broke out at Justice Varma's residence. During the incident, firefighters allegedly recovered unaccounted cash. At the time of the fire, Justice Varma and his wife were in Madhya Pradesh, while their daughter and his mother were at home. A video surfaced later showing bundles of cash burning in the fire.
Allegations of corruption emerged following the incident, which Justice Varma denied, stating that he believed the matter to be a conspiracy against him. On March 22, the Chief Justice of India initiated an in-house inquiry and formed the three-member committee to investigate the matter. The video of burnt cash was shared by the Delhi Police Commissioner with the Chief Justice of the Delhi High Court. Subsequently, the Supreme Court made the video public and released the report of the Delhi High Court Chief Justice, along with Justice Varma’s response.
Justice Varma was later repatriated to his parent High Court, the Allahabad High Court, where he took oath of office. However, his judicial work has been temporarily withdrawn on the instructions of the Chief Justice of India. Earlier, the Allahabad High Court Bar Association went on strike in protest against his repatriation.
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