CityweliveA Supreme Court-designated panel, which has implicated Allahabad High Court judge Yashwant Varma in a cash-recovery scandal, stated that the storeroom where charred currency was discovered was under the direct supervision of the judge and his family, according to sources. They mentioned that the committee uncovered some indications suggesting that the burnt cash was removed from the storeroom on May 15, shortly after the fire incident was reported.
Earlier this month, the then Chief Justice of India Sanjiv Khanna communicated the matter to President Droupadi Murmu and Prime Minister Narendra Modi, sharing the panel’s findings along with Justice Varma’s written response.
Sources indicated that the committee, after evaluating various forms of evidence, including digital records, concluded that the charges were grave enough
The panel’s investigation involved reviewing documents and recording testimonies of over 50 individuals, including Delhi Police Commissioner Sanjay Arora and the Delhi Fire Services chief, who were among the earliest officials at the scene of the fire at Justice Varma’s official Lutyens’ Delhi residence on the night of March 14 at 11:35 PM.
At that time, Justice Varma was serving on the Delhi High Court bench.
The judge has consistently refuted the accusations in his communications with both the Delhi High Court Chief Justice and the Supreme Court-appointed committee.
Recently, the Supreme Court administration denied a request to release the committee’s report under the Right to Information (RTI) Act.
The RTI application had also demanded access to correspondence between the former CJI and top constitutional authorities, including the President and Prime Minister.
According to established in-house procedure, the CJI is required to write to the President and Prime Minister recommending impeachment if the judge does not voluntarily step down after being advised to do so.
“In accordance with the in-house mechanism, the Chief Justice of India forwarded the committee’s report dated May 3, along with Justice Yashwant Varma’s response dated May 6, to the President and Prime Minister,” read an official statement from the Supreme Court on May 8.
Sources earlier confirmed that the three-member committee had validated the cash-recovery claims against Justice Varma in its report.
The panel included Punjab and Haryana High Court Chief Justice Sheel Nagu, Himachal Pradesh High Court Chief Justice G S Sandhawalia, and Justice Anu Sivaraman of the Karnataka High Court. The final report was submitted on May 3.
Additionally, sources said that former CJI Khanna urged Justice Varma to resign after reviewing the serious findings, in accordance with the principles of natural justice, giving him an opportunity to respond.
The issue came to public attention after a news report exposed the cash-recovery case, leading to multiple actions, including a preliminary probe by Delhi High Court Chief Justice D K Upadhyaya, the withdrawal of judicial responsibilities from Justice Varma, and eventually his transfer to the Allahabad High Court without any judicial duties.
