Parliamentary panel finds all three charges against Justice Yashwant Varma substantiated over cash discovery.
Report rejects Varma’s explanations but stops short of establishing personal ownership of cash.
Varma resigned in April 2026, leaving Parliament’s impeachment proceedings and next steps uncertain.
A three-member parliamentary inquiry committee tabled its 126-page report in both Houses of Parliament on Wednesday. It found all three charges against Allahabad High Court judge Justice Yashwant Varma proved.
The inquiry stems from discovering a large quantity of unaccounted currency at Varma's official Delhi residence following a fire on March 14, 2025. The panel stopped short of concluding the cash belonged to the judge due to a lack of substantial evidence proving personal ownership. However, it dismissed his defence claiming ignorance of the money and denying responsibility for its fate after the discovery.
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.
Varma resigned from judicial office on April 9, 2026, while the parliamentary inquiry was still underway.
Three Charges Proved
The first article of charge was proved because a locked cabinet containing Varma's personal articles established his connection to and control over the storeroom where the cash was found. This led the panel to reject his argument that the area was beyond his control.
The second article of charge was proved due to his failure to preserve the burnt currency as material evidence from premises under his institutional control. While the committee found no direct proof that Varma physically removed the funds himself, it scrutinized the involvement of his household and establishment staff in handling the room and the cash.
The third article of charge was proved because Varma's explanations were deemed evasive, misleading and 'false' in parts. The panel reviewed his initial denial of knowing about the money, alongside later claims of a conspiracy, planted cash and flawed evidence collection. It concluded these failed to explain the currency's presence or counter the evidence.
The committee also drew an adverse inference from his decision to decline to enter the witness box and bypass cross-examination.
"The cumulative record therefore establishes the presence of substantial currency notes within the official premises, failure to satisfactorily explain its presence, failure to preserve the material, later non-availability of the currency notes, and absence of any substantiated defence capable of displacing the evidence led before the Committee," the report stated.
Background And Next Steps
Then Chief Justice of India Sanjiv Khanna ordered an in-house inquiry in March 2025 after the controversy erupted. Following that panel finding Varma's explanation unsatisfactory, Khanna asked him to resign or face constitutional removal.
After Varma declined to resign, the report was sent to the President and the Prime Minister. This led to a Lok Sabha motion and constituting the statutory inquiry committee.
It remains uncertain whether Parliament will pursue impeachment proceedings to their conclusion despite Varma's resignation on April 9, 2026.
