SC in-house panel indicts Justice Yashwant Varma in cash recovery case

Justice Yashwant Varma has been indicted by an internal judicial panel following the allegations of discovery of unaccounted cash at his home.

The committee, which submitted its findings to Chief Justice of India Sanjiv Khanna on May 4, has recommended that Justice Varma resign. If he refuses, the report may be forwarded to the President of India with a call for his impeachment.

The incident traces back to March 14, when a fire broke out at Justice Varma’s residence in Delhi. At the time, he and his wife were in Madhya Pradesh, while only his daughter and elderly mother were at home.

Firefighters responding to the scene reportedly uncovered bundles of unexplained cash. A video showing the money burning later surfaced, intensifying both public concern and legal attention, Indian Express reported.

In response to the revelations, Chief Justice of India Sanjiv Khanna established a three-member committee on March 22, including Punjab and Haryana High Court Chief Justice Sheel Nagu, Himachal Pradesh High Court Chief Justice GS Sandhawalia, and Karnataka High Court Justice Anu Sivaraman. The committee commenced its investigation on March 25, Financial Express reported.

Justice Varma has denied any misconduct, calling the situation a “conspiracy” against him. He submitted a detailed response to the CJI and sought legal counsel from a team that includes Senior Advocates Siddharth Agarwal, Arundhati Katju, and others.

In a rare move, the Delhi Police Commissioner handed over the video evidence to the Chief Justice of the Delhi High Court. This, along with a preliminary report and Justice Varma’s response, was subsequently released to the public by the Supreme Court.