By The Sampadak Express
Chief Justice of India (CJI) Sanjiv Khanna has submitted the findings of an in-house Supreme Court inquiry into allegations against Justice Yashwant Varma to President Droupadi Murmu and Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
The move follows the recovery of a large amount of cash from the residence of Justice Varma, a sitting judge of the Delhi High Court, after a fire broke out at his home on March 14 during Holi celebrations. Emergency services responding to the fire reportedly discovered the cash, prompting police involvement.
In an official statement, the Supreme Court confirmed: “The Chief Justice of India, in terms of the In-House Procedure, has written to the Hon’ble President of India and the Hon’ble Prime Minister of India enclosing the three-member committee report dated May 3, 2025, along with the response dated May 6, 2025, from Justice Yashwant Varma.”
The in-house inquiry panel, comprising 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, confirmed the presence of unexplained cash at Justice Varma’s residence. The panel finalized and submitted its report to CJI Khanna on May 3.
Justice Varma was given two days to respond to the findings, which he did on May 6. Although the details of his explanation have not been publicly disclosed, his response was included in the communication to the President and Prime Minister.
Earlier, on March 20, the Supreme Court had proposed Justice Varma’s transfer from the Delhi High Court to the Allahabad High Court. However, the court clarified that this proposal was “independent and separate” from the ongoing in-house inquiry initiated by Delhi High Court Chief Justice D.K. Upadhyay.
The developments have sparked significant interest and concern within the judicial community and raise serious questions about judicial accountability.
