NEW DELHI: Justice Yashwant Varma, indicted by an in-house inquiry report over discovery of cash haul, has filed a plea in the Supreme Court, challenging the validity of actions initiated against him, including formation of in-house inquiry committee and the recommendation for his removal.
He filed writ petition, which sought a declaration that the recommendation by the then CJI on May 8, 2025 to the President and the Prime Minister for initiation of his removal as a High Court Judge was unconstitutional and ultra vires.
Justice Varma was transferred from the Delhi High Court to his parent, Allahabad High Court after the controversy.
He questioned the validity of the in-house procedure and denial of fair hearing and due process.
He also raised the issue of absence of formal complaint before the inquiry was initiated by the judges panel. Justice Varma contended the Supreme Court's act of uploading a press release on March 22, 2025, disclosing allegations against him led to intense media speculation adversely affecting his reputation and violating the right to dignity.
Justice Varma also claimed the judges committee, formed by the CJI Sanjiv Khanna, denied him an opportunity to rebut the allegations or to cross examine witnesses.
He contended the recommendation to remove him was made without any personal opportunity to explain his case.
In his plea, Justice Varma also sought quashing of the final report of May 03, 2025 issued by the in-house committee constituted by the CJI, and all actions consequential there.
"Invocation of the In-House Procedure was improper and invalid, since it was done in the absence of any formal complaint," the plea said.
The plea also stated mere discovery of cash provided no conclusive resolution. It remained essential to determine whose cash and how much was discovered. These aspects bear directly on the severity of the allegations, and equally, on the potential for orchestrated scandal; added to by the cause of the fire, whether intentional or accidental, and the involvement of the Petitioner in the alleged “removal” of the currency. The committee report provided no answers to these questions.
The cash haul was allegedly found at the residence of Justice Varma, then Delhi HC judge here during the fire incident on March 14-15, 2025.
The judge was subsequently transferred to the Allahabad High Court, his parent High Court.
On March 22, 2025, the then CJI set up the committee headed by Justice Sheel Nagu, Chief Justice of the High Court of Punjab and Haryana, and comprising Justice G S Sandhawalia, Chief Justice of the High Court of Himachal Pradesh and Ms Justice Anu Sivaraman, judge of the High Court of Karnataka.
The committee finalised its report on May 3, 2025 indicting him, upon analysing the statements of 55 witnesses, including of Justice Varma and conducting the probe for 10 days. Then CJI Sanjiv Khanna forwarded the report to the President and the Prime Minister for further action as Justice Varma reportedly refused to step down.
