'Absolutely no role': Justice Yashwant Varma denies cash recovery, says he wasn’t present during fire

Justice Yashwant Varma (File photo)

• Justice Varma denies fire involvement, claims no cash found at home.
• He claims first responder failures are wrongly attributed to him
• Supreme Court reserved verdict on his challenge to the parliamentary inquiry

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Justice Yashwant Varma has told a Lok Sabha–appointed inquiry committee examining the impeachment motion against him that he was not present in Delhi when a fire broke out at his official residence last year and that no cash was recovered from the premises.

He has denied any involvement in the alleged incident, maintaining that failures by first responders are being wrongly attributed to him.

According to sources familiar with the proceedings, Justice Varma submitted his response to the three-member parliamentary committee constituted under the Judges (Inquiry) Act, 1968, reiterating a position he has consistently taken before multiple forums.

The committee is headed by Supreme Court judge Justice Aravind Kumar and also includes Justice Manindra Mohan Shrivastava, Chief Justice of the Madras High Court, and senior advocate BV Acharya.

In his submission, Justice Varma stated that he was not at the official residence in the Capital when the accidental fire occurred on the night of March 14–15 last year. He said that there is no official record to show that any cash was recovered from the site.

The fire, he explained, took place in an outhouse that is structurally separate from the portion of the premises where he resides and is located close to CRPF barracks, making it accessible to several individuals.

Justice Varma also pointed out that he was not the first responder at the scene. He alleged that police personnel, fire department officials and security staff who reached the spot failed to take necessary steps to secure the area and preserve evidence.

Any lapses in handling the situation, he argued, should not be laid at his door. He further contended that the absence of CCTV footage undermines the allegations levelled against him.

Sources said the judge questioned why he should face impeachment proceedings when, according to him, officials present at the site did not follow standard procedures.

Reiterating his stand, Justice Varma told the committee that he had “absolutely no role” in the alleged episode and that no unaccounted cash was recovered from his residence.

The controversy surrounding Justice Varma began after allegations surfaced that a substantial amount of cash was discovered at his official residence following the fire.

On March 20 last year, the Supreme Court Collegium proposed his transfer from the Delhi High Court to the Allahabad High Court. Two days later, the then Chief Justice of India constituted a three-member in-house inquiry committee to look into the allegations.

The in-house panel subsequently found substance in the allegations and forwarded its findings to the President and the Prime Minister for further action.

Justice Varma challenged the constitutionality of this in-house inquiry before the Supreme Court, but on August 7, 2025, a two-judge bench dismissed his plea, holding that there was no procedural deviation.

Following this, motions seeking his impeachment were introduced in both Houses of Parliament. The Lok Sabha Speaker then appointed the present committee to investigate the matter in accordance with the Judges (Inquiry) Act, 1968.

Justice Varma has also challenged the legality of the parliamentary committee before the Supreme Court. A two-judge bench reserved its verdict on his petition last week and, while doing so, declined his request for additional time to respond to the notice issued by the committee.