Controversial judge, Justice Yashwant Varma has filed a Writ Petition in the Supreme Court, contesting the findings of an in-house judicial inquiry that held him accountable in the cash-at-residence case. The petition, filed on 17th July, 2025 also challenged the recommendation made by former Chief Justice of India Sanjiv Khanna to the President and Prime Minister, urging impeachment proceedings.

The Supreme Court of India and the Union of India have been named as respondents in the petition.

Justice Varma’s legal challenge comes just days before the start of Parliament's monsoon session, during which the impeachment motion is likely to be introduced. He contended that the inquiry was fundamentally flawed claiming he was denied a fair chance to defend himself, and that the committee acted on presumptions rather than evidence, unfairly shifting the burden of proof onto him.

The case stems from a fire incident on March 14, during which a large amount of currency was discovered at Justice Varma’s official Delhi residence. The discovery led to a high-level judicial probe by a three-judge committee comprising Justice Sheel Nagu, Justice GS Sandhawalia, and Justice Anu Sivaraman.

After examining 55 witnesses and reviewing photographic and video evidence, the panel concluded that the money was recovered from an area under Justice Varma’s or his family’s control and found his explanation lacking.

The committee submitted its report to then Chief Justice of India Sanjiv Khanna (CJI) in May. After Justice Varma declined to step down despite the CJI's advice, the report was forwarded to the President and the Prime Minister for appropriate action.

Source: News