Inquiry Panel Rejects Justice Varma's Account of Cash Found After Fire
Inquiry panel report on Justice Varma's cash row tabled.
A three-member inquiry committee has found that unexplained Rs 500 currency notes were discovered at the official residence of former High Court judge Justice Yashwant Varma in New Delhi and that his explanation regarding their origin was not satisfactory. The findings were contained in a report tabled in Parliament on Wednesday. The inquiry was constituted by the Lok Sabha Speaker to examine the circumstances forming the basis for seeking Justice Varma’s removal from office.
According to the report, bundles of cash were found in a storeroom at 30 Tughlaq Crescent, the official residence of Justice Varma, after a fire broke out during the intervening night of March 14 and 15, 2025. At the time, Justice Varma was serving as a judge of the Delhi High Court. Firefighters responding to the blaze reportedly discovered large quantities of burnt currency at the premises, leading to an inquiry into the circumstances surrounding the cash.
The inquiry committee was headed by Supreme Court judge Justice Aravind Kumar and included former Bombay High Court Chief Justice Shree Chandrasekhar and senior advocate B V Acharya. The panel examined the circumstances surrounding the recovery of the cash and Justice Varma’s explanation. Its report concluded that he had failed to provide a satisfactory account of the origin of the currency notes found at his residence.
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The report also noted that Justice Varma abruptly withdrew from the inquiry proceedings and failed to cooperate with the committee. The findings were presented to Parliament as part of the process concerning the allegations against the former judge. The report’s conclusions could now form part of further parliamentary consideration of the proceedings seeking his removal, with the circumstances surrounding the cash recovery remaining a central issue in the case.
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