Ex-Judge Varma found guilty by probe panel in cash row case

The Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla formed inquiry panel has found all three charges against former Delhi High Court judge Justice Yashwant Varma proved. The three- member committee probing allegations against Allahabad High Court judge justice Yashwant Varma, has found the ex-judge guilty in the cash recovery case and he failed to explain its presence. The report, tabled in both Houses of Parliament on Wednesday, stopped short of holding that the currency belonged to justice Varma for want of substantial evidence establishing personal ownership. But it rejected his defence that he had no knowledge of the cash or responsibility for what happened to it after it was discovered following a fire at his official residence at 30 Tughlak Crescent in Delhion March 14, 2025.
The committee, examined three formal charges against Justice Varma, essentially the specific allegations framed for investigation. Its finding was that substantial unexplained cash was found on premises under his control and that he failed to satisfactorily explain its presence, source or ownership. The committee found that a substantial quantity of Rs 500 notes was present in the storeroom after the fire. According to the report, the evidence pointed to bundles, heaps and stacks of currency rather than a few stray notes. The Parliamentary panel has further stated that the "subsequent disappearance/non availability of the currency notes remains unexplained". The report has blamed the "failure to preserve evidence" and allowing disturbance of the storeroom by staff attached to the premises" as the reason for loss of material evidence.
The committee has stated that it found Justice Verma's explanation on the presence of cash, including the reply dated March 22 2025, "was found unsatisfactory". "Varma's response lacked candour, transparency and institutional responsibility," the report has stated.The panel rejected justice Varma’s contention that the storeroom where the cash was found was beyond his control. It noted evidence concerning a locked cabinet containing his personal articles in the room and held that the circumstances established a sufficient connection between the judge and the premises. The first article of charge was consequently held proved.The committee was also critical of the failure to preserve the burnt currency after the fire.
The report held him responsible for failing to ensure preservation of material evidence from premises under his institutional control. It also examined the role of people attached to his household and establishment in the handling of the storeroom and currency. The second article of charge was held proved. The committee comprised Supreme Court judge justice Aravind Kumar, then Bombay high court chief justice Shrikrishna Chandrashekhar, who has since been elevated to the Supreme Court, and senior advocate BV Acharya.The committee could not establish the precise value of the currency because the cash was never formally seized, counted, inventoried or preserved at the scene.
Justice Varma challenged the constitution of the committee, but the Supreme Court dismissed his plea on January 16, 2026. Earlier,The panel held its first meeting on September 17 and formally framed the charges against him on November 26.Justice Varma, however, resigned as a judge of the Allahabad High Court while facing the prospect of removal by Parliament, rendering the impeachment proceedings against him infructuous. The President subsequently gives formal acknowledgment, following which the resignation is notified by the Department of Justice in the Union Law Ministry.
The report was tabled in both Houses of Parliament on Wednesday. The secretaries general of the Rajya Sabha and the Lok Sabha laid the report in both their Houses respectively. The report is in two volumes along with oral and documentary evidence recorded during the course of the investigation.