Overview
- In a response to the parliamentary inquiry, Justice Yashwant Varma said he was not at his New Delhi residence when the March 2025 fire occurred and asserted that no cash was recovered.
- He maintained he was not the first responder and argued the site was not properly secured by police and fire officials, distancing himself from any alleged recovery process.
- Burnt currency was reported at the residence on March 14, 2025, after which Varma was repatriated from the Delhi High Court to the Allahabad High Court.
- An in-house three-member committee set up by then Chief Justice Sanjiv Khanna found misconduct in a May 4, 2025 report after Varma declined to resign, prompting the Lok Sabha Speaker on August 12 to admit a multi-party removal motion and form a three-member inquiry panel.
- Varma has petitioned the Supreme Court to quash the Speaker’s actions as contrary to the Judges (Inquiry) Act, and the court on December 16 issued notices to the Speaker and the Secretaries-General of both Houses.