Allahabad High Court judge Justice Yashwant Varma has told a Lok Sabha-appointed inquiry committee that he was not present in Delhi when an accidental fire broke out at his official residence in March last year and that no cash was recovered from the site.
Sources familiar with the proceedings said Justice Varma made the submission before a three-member committee headed by Supreme Court judge Justice Aravind Kumar, which is examining an impeachment motion against him. He reportedly said that police and fire department officials who were first responders failed to secure the premises and take required action.
Justice Varma is learnt to have reiterated the stand he took earlier before an in-house inquiry panel constituted by then Chief Justice of India Sanjiv Khanna and in proceedings before the Supreme Court.
He told the panel that there is no official record showing recovery of cash from the site of the fire, which he said occurred in an outhouse separate from his residential quarters and located near the CRPF barracks, making it accessible to many people. He also pointed out that there was no CCTV footage to support the allegations.
The controversy arose after claims that cash was found at his residence during a fire on the night of March 14 and 15. Following this, the Supreme Court Collegium proposed his transfer from the Delhi High Court to Allahabad, and an in-house inquiry panel found credence in the allegations.
Justice Varma challenged the inquiry before the Supreme Court, but a two-judge bench dismissed his plea on August 7, 2025. Impeachment motions were later introduced in Parliament, leading to the constitution of the present committee. The Supreme Court has reserved its verdict on Justice Varma’s challenge to the committee’s legality and declined to grant him more time to respond to its notice.