Lok Sabha Speaker-constituted panel finds Justice Yashwant Varma guilty of misconduct

New Delhi: An inquiry committee, formed by Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, has found former Delhi High Court judge, justice Yashwant Varma, guilty of misconduct, holding that all three charges against him - unexplained cash found at his official residence, disturbance of material evidence and an evasive explanation - stand proved.

The three-member committee submitted its report under the Judges (Inquiry) Act. The report was tabled in both the Houses of Parliament on Wednesday.

The committee said justice Varma failed to furnish any satisfactory explanation regarding the presence, source or ownership of the cash allegedly discovered in a storeroom of his official residence after a fire in March 2025.


It held that material evidence was not properly secured or preserved and that the evidentiary condition of the storeroom was disturbed before it could be lawfully sealed and inspected, undermining the integrity of the investigation.

The panel was also critical of justice Varma's defence, saying his explanation lacked "candour, transparency and institutional responsibility" expected of a constitutional functionary. It said his responses remained "evasive and unsatisfactory" when tested against the testimony of independent official witnesses and corroborative material. "The committee therefore records its final findings that Articles of Charge I, II and III are proved," the report said.

The inquiry report had been submitted to Birla in May. It was placed before Parliament on Wednesday as nearly 200 MPs had earlier submitted notices seeking justice Varma's removal. However, he resigned before the impeachment process could be taken to its conclusion. His resignation is yet to be formally notified by the law ministry though his exit has effectively rendered the removal proceedings infructuous.

March 14, 2025, incident

The row dates to the night of March 14, 2025, when a fire broke out at justice Varma's official residence in New Delhi. Firefighters responding to the blaze allegedly found large quantities of burnt currency notes in a storeroom, triggering an unprecedented judicial and parliamentary inquiry. The findings formed the basis of the impeachment motion initiated by MPs.