Ex-judge Varma found guilty by House panel

New Delhi: Former Delhi High Court judge Yashwant Varma, who was at the centre of a storm after a pile of cash was found inside his residence in Delhi, failed to explain its presence. This is the finding of a panel formed by Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla to probe the cash at judge’s house. In a scathing indictment of Varma, the committee has stated that it found his explanation on the presence of cash, including the reply dated March 22, 2025, “was found unsatisfactory”.

A fire broke out in the official residence of Justice Varma on the night of March 14, 2025. Firefighters called to put out the blaze allegedly discovered massive amounts of burnt currency in a storeroom. “Large quantities of unexplained Rs 500 currency notes were found in a storeroom inside the official residence at 30, Tughlak Crescent, New Delhi. The judge failed to provide a satisfactory explanation regarding the presence, source and ownership of the cash, the committee has stated in its report. The panel has also questioned the subsequent probe into the cash recovery. “Material evidence was not properly secured or preserved. The evidentiary condition of the storeroom was disturbed before lawful sealing and inspection,” the report has said. The Parliamentary panel has further stated that the “subsequent disappearance/non availability of the currency notes remains unexplained”.