Cash Row: Justice Varma Petitions SC Challenging In-House Probe Report

Justice Yashwant Varma, a sitting judge of the Allahabad High Court, has filed a writ petition before the Supreme Court challenging his indictment by an in-house judicial panel over the alleged cash-discovery incident at his New Delhi bungalow.

The petition also seeks to quash the communication sent by then Chief Justice of India Sanjiv Khanna to the President and the Prime Minister, recommending action against him. Justice Varma alleges that the committee functioned in a ‘pre-determined manner’ and denied him a fair hearing.

This legal move comes as the Union government is reportedly preparing to initiate removal proceedings against the judge. An impeachment motion will likely introduce in the upcoming Parliament session.

Cash Discovery Sparks Judicial Storm

The controversy erupted after a fire broke out at Justice Varma’s official residence on March 14. Firefighters responding to the blaze allegedly discovered a large amount of burnt cash in a storeroom attached to the bungalow.

Justice Varma, who was then serving as a judge of the Delhi High Court, repatriated to the Allahabad High Court shortly after the incident. The Supreme Court then constituted a three-member in-house inquiry committee to investigate the allegations.

The panel comprised Chief Justice Sheel Nagu of the Punjab and Haryana High Court, Chief Justice GS Sandhawalia of the Himachal Pradesh High Court, and Justice Anu Sivaraman of the Karnataka High Court.

According to the panel’s findings, both physical and digital evidence suggested the storeroom remained under the covert or active control of Justice Varma and his family. The committee concluded that the cash was likely removed during the early hours of March 15, the day after the fire.

Panel Recommends Impeachment; FIR Plea Filed

The committee found the allegations serious and substantiated enough to recommend impeachment under Article 124(4) of the Constitution. It said Justice Varma’s misconduct was not only established but also grave.

Meanwhile, advocate Mathews J Nedumpara, along with co-petitioners, has once again approached the Supreme Court seeking directions to the Delhi Police to register an FIR in the case.

The petition argues that the Union government, which oversees the Delhi Police, has a constitutional duty to ensure the filing of an FIR over the unaccounted cash recovery.

This is the third such plea by Nedumpara seeking criminal proceedings in a matter that has already triggered rare disciplinary measures within the higher judiciary.

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