Justice Yashwant Varma is found guilty in the cash-at-home affair by a Lok Sabha investigation panel

The three-person inquiry committee looking into accusations against the justice of the Allahabad High Court All three of the charges against him were deemed to be proven by Yashwant Varma, who concluded that his explanation for the significant amount of unaccounted monies seized at his official residence was “evasive” and “misleading.”

The report, which was presented in both Houses of Parliament on Wednesday, refrained from concluding that Justice Varma was the rightful owner of the cash due to a lack of sufficient proof. However, it disregarded his argument that he was unaware of the money or accountable for its disappearance after it was found on March 14, 2025, following a fire at his official Delhi residence.

“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 126-page report said.

The group included renowned attorney BV Acharya, Bombay High Court Chief Justice Shrikrishna Chandrashekhar (who has since been promoted to the Supreme Court), and Supreme Court Judge Aravind Kumar. Justice Varma’s argument that he had no authority over the cupboard where the money was discovered was rejected by the panel. It found that there was a sufficient connection between the judge and the premises based on evidence of a closed cabinet in the room that contained his personal belongings. As a result, the first article of charge was deemed proven.

The committee also expressed disapproval of the post-fire failure to preserve the scorched banknotes. It held Justice Varma accountable for failing to guarantee the preservation of important evidence from locations under his institutional authority, even tho it could not uncover concrete proof that he personally took the money. It also looked at how those connected to his home and business handled the currency and storage. The second accusation was found to be true.

Justice Varma’s explanation during the investigation was especially criticised by the panel. It looked at his first denial that he knew anything about the currency and his later accusations of conspiracy, cash planting, and inadequate evidence collecting and storage. The committee concluded that these justifications did not explain the cash’s existence or refute the facts in front of it.

Justice Varma’s refusal to go into the witness box and face cross-examination was also interpreted negatively. The committee deemed his response to be evasive and misleading overall and declared some of his defence to be “false.” It was also decided that the third article of charge was proven.

The results come after an earlier internal investigation that was mandated by Sanjiv Khanna, the Chief Justice of India at the time, following the scandal that broke out in March 2025. CJI Khanna directed Justice Varma to step down or face the constitutional procedure for his removal when that panel deemed his explanation inadequate. The report was sent to the President and Prime Minister when Justice Varma rejected.

Following parliamentary removal procedures, a motion against him was admitted by the Lok Sabha, which also established a statutory inquiry committee. However, on April 9, 2026, while the parliamentary investigation was in progress, Justice Varma resigned from his position.