Cash recovery row: Justice Yashwant Varma hides identity, is 'XXX' in his SC petition

Justice Yashwant Varma

Facing impeachment motion in Parliament over piles of burnt cash found at his home in March, Justice Yashwant Varma has reportedly kept his identity a secret in his petition in the Supreme Court while seeking the quashing the in-house inquiry report and the CJI's recommendation for stripping him of judgeship.

According to a report by The Times of India, in the petition, his name is described as "XXX". Such camouflage is used in records of SC and HCs to hide the identity of petitioner women who were sexually harassed or assaulted. It is also used to prevent revealing the identity of juveniles and minors in matrimonial custody battles. SC has in many judgments asked all courts not to reveal the names of rape survivors in judgements.

A Supreme Court bench consisting of Justices Dipankar Datta and A.G. Mashi is due to hear a petition scheduled on July 28 filed by Allahabad HC judge Justice Yashwant Varma.

Justice Varma's plea - titled "XXX vs Union of India" - is the 699th civil writ petition filed in SC this year. While the Centre is the first respondent, SC itself is the second respondent. It was filed on July 17, and after the advocate on record rectified defects pointed out by the registry, SC registered the petition on July 24, according to the same publication.

The Speaker of the Lok Sabha is expected to seek recommendations from the Chief Justice of India BR Gavai for the formation of the three-member panel to investigate the charges. According to media reports, this is a parliamentary convention followed under the Judges' Inquiry Act. The Speaker will request the names of a Supreme Court judge and a High Court Chief Justice for the committee. The third member, a distinguished jurist, will likely be decided by the Speaker and the Chairman of the Rajya Sabha.

The process to remove Justice Yashwant Varma from his office was set in motion on Monday (July 21, 2025), with members of the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha submitting notices to the presiding officers of their respective Houses, and Chairman of Rajya Sabha Jagdeep Dhankhar taking note of the move.

Justice Varma’s responsibilities were taken away and he was transferred from the Delhi High Court to the Allahabad High Court after burnt currency notes were found at his official residence in Delhi on March 14.