Justice Yashwant Varma Withdraws From Inquiry Proceedings Over Cash-at-Home Controversy, Blames Procedure As Unfair

Justice Yashwant Varma, Judge of the Allahabad High Court, has withdrawn from the proceedings before the Judges Inquiry Committee constituted by the Lok Sabha to examine the charges against him in connection with the alleged recovery of cash from a storeroom at his official residence.

It may be noted that the move has happened in parallel to he submitting his resignation to the President of India.

The three member Judges Inquiry Committee was constituted last year by the Lok Sabha Speaker under the Judges Inquiry Act, 1968. This was after over 100 Lok Sabha MPs moved a motion seeking Justice Varma's impeachment.

The Committee comprises Justice Aravind Kumar of the Supreme Court, Justice Shree Chnadrashekhar, CJ of the Bombay High Court, and Senior Advocate BV Acharya.

Justice Varma had earlier unsuccessfully challenged before the Supreme Court the constitution of the Committee last year, questioning the initiation of the inquiry proceedings against him.

In a detailed 13-page communication addressed to the Committee, Justice Varma expressed “profound anguish” over the course of the proceedings and stated that continuing in the process would legitimise what he described as an unfair inquiry. He stated that the proceedings had effectively reversed the burden of proof and denied him a reasonable opportunity to defend himself.

Justice Varma stated that the incident in question related to a fire that occurred in a storeroom within his official residence during the Holi break in March 2025, when he and his spouse were away on vacation in a remote location with limited connectivity. He said he was informed about the fire only after it had been brought under control and that he was not aware of the alleged discovery of cash at the premises until later.

Raising concerns about procedural fairness, Justice Varma stated that several witnesses who had given testimony favourable to him were dropped without explanation. As recorded in the letter, out of 54 witnesses examined earlier, 27 were dropped, including officials from the Delhi Fire Services and Delhi Police, after cross examination allegedly revealed facts inconsistent with the allegations.

He further contended that the inquiry had proceeded on presumptions rather than evidence and had placed an onerous obligation on him to disprove allegations regarding the ownership or placement of cash that had never been linked to him through evidence.

In the concluding portion of the communication, Justice Varma stated that he had, in parallel, addressed a communication to the President of India and that continuing in the proceedings would be a disservice to both himself and the institution.

He said the manner in which the inquiry was conducted would be judged in the future, stating that the episode had marked the treatment of a sitting High Court judge and that posterity would assess the fairness of the process.

“I therefore withdraw from these proceedings with immediate effect and have instructed my Advocates accordingly.

I withdraw with the deepest sadness, conscious of the gravity of my decision and with the hope that history will one day record the unfairness with which a sitting High Court Judge was treated and that has marked this entire episode from its inception,” he said.