The inquiry committee formed by Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla has concluded that former Delhi High Court judge Justice Yashwant Varma is guilty of three charges related to the discovery of burnt currency notes at his official residence in New Delhi. The committee’s report, submitted under the Judges (Inquiry) Act, 1968, stated that a significant quantity of unexplained ₹500 denomination currency notes was found in a storeroom on the premises.

The report highlights that the evidence associated with the currency was not adequately preserved. It indicated that Justice Varma’s explanations regarding the notes were “evasive, incomplete and misleading in effect.” Photographic and video evidence corroborated the presence of burnt and partially burnt currency at the location.

On March 14 and 15, 2025, a fire occurred at Justice Varma’s residence situated at 30, Tughlaq Crescent, New Delhi. Fire services and police personnel reported discovering various states of burnt currency within the storeroom. The committee’s findings are significant as they do not necessitate proving that Justice Varma owned the currency in the criminal sense; rather, it established that he failed to satisfactorily account for its presence within his official residence.

Evidence Preservation and Subsequent Events

The committee also assessed the failure to secure and preserve material evidence following the fire incident. It found that the storeroom was not sealed in a timely manner, leading to disturbances at the scene and the loss of the currency notes reported by multiple officials. This element played a crucial role in the committee’s conclusion regarding Article II of the charges.

Importantly, the committee clarified that its conclusion did not rest on direct evidence of Justice Varma personally removing the currency but rather on the failure to maintain material evidence and the subsequent disturbances that obscured the situation. The inability to quantify the exact amount of currency did not affect the core finding about its substantial presence.

The inquiry examined Justice Varma’s defences concerning claims of conspiracy, involvement of staff, and other possibilities mentioned during the proceedings. Although Justice Varma was entitled to deny knowledge or ownership of the currency, the committee noted that his explanations failed to address the critical issue of the significant amounts of currency seen in the storeroom.

Final Conclusions and Judicial Process

In its consolidated findings, the committee confirmed that all three charges against Justice Varma were substantiated. Article I was upheld based on the discovery of the unexplained currency, while Article II was confirmed due to the mishandling of evidence. Article III related to Justice Varma’s explanations was also considered proved, as they were found to be evasive and lacking in substance.

The inquiry was initiated following the discovery of burnt notes during firefighting efforts at Justice Varma’s residence. The matter subsequently underwent an in-house judicial process before Parliament initiated proceedings as per the Judges (Inquiry) Act, 1968. Following these events, Justice Varma was transferred from the Delhi High Court to the Allahabad High Court, where he took his oath on April 5, 2025.

However, Justice Varma resigned from his position on the bench of the Allahabad High Court in April this year. The inquiry and subsequent findings have drawn considerable attention due to their implications for judicial integrity and accountability in India.

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