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A Parliamentary inquiry panel set up under the Judges Inquiry Act has found former High Court judge Justice Yashwant Varma guilty on all three charges linked to unaccounted cash discovered at his official Delhi home. The detailed report, presented in the Lok Sabha on Wednesday, revealed that large stacks of unverified 500-rupee notes were discovered in a storeroom at 30 Tughlaq Crescent after a fire broke out in March 2025.
The three-member panel, headed by Supreme Court Justice Aravind Kumar, stated that the judge failed to give any plausible explanation regarding where the money came from or who owned it, confirming he held control over the space.
Beyond the cash discovery, the panel held Justice Varma responsible for not protecting crucial physical evidence, pointing out that the storeroom was tampered with before investigators could officially inspect and seal it. It also highlighted his evasive and misleading responses during questioning, noting that his defence lacked the honesty expected from a senior member of the judiciary.
While the report noted these findings do not amount to a direct criminal conviction of personal ownership, it emphasized that keeping unexplained wealth in an official residence damages judicial integrity. Although Justice Varma had already resigned following the start of removal proceedings, placing this report before Parliament marks a major step toward concluding one of India's most high-profile judicial scandals.