An inquiry committee probing allegations against Justice Yashwant Varma in the alleged unaccounted cash discovery case has submitted its report to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, setting the stage for it to be tabled in Parliament during the next session.
The report was presented on Monday under provisions of the Judges (Inquiry) Act, 1968, and will be laid before both Houses of Parliament in “due course”, the Lok Sabha Secretariat said.
With Parliament not currently in session, the Monsoon Session, usually held in the third week of July, is likely to be the next opportunity for tabling the report.
Speaker Birla had constituted the three-member inquiry committee on August 12, 2025, following allegations against Justice Varma after a fire at his official Delhi residence on the night of March 14, 2025.
Firefighters had allegedly discovered large amounts of burnt currency in a storeroom at the bungalow.
At the time, Varma was serving as a judge of the Delhi High Court before being repatriated to his parent Allahabad High Court. An in-house committee formed by then Chief Justice of India Sanjiv Khanna later concluded that Justice Varma had “active or tacit control” over the storeroom where the cash was allegedly hidden.
The development came after more than 200 MPs signed a motion in July 2025 seeking his removal. Under the Judges (Inquiry) Act, Parliament alone has the authority to remove a Supreme Court or high court judge, as well as the chief election commissioner.
However, Justice Varma recently resigned from the Allahabad High Court, effectively halting the removal process. People familiar with judicial appointment and removal procedures said that, as per a Supreme Court judgment, a judge is “deemed to have resigned” once he or she submits a resignation to the President and “circulates” its copy (makes it public).
A judge’s resignation is not “subject to acceptance” by the President, they said. The President subsequently gives “formal acceptance”, after which the Department of Justice in the Law Ministry issues a notification.
Although Justice Varma’s name continues to appear as a sitting judge on the Allahabad High Court website, legal precedent suggests he has ceased to hold office and is now a private citizen.
“Going by this, a former judge cannot be removed by Parliament,” a person aware of the procedure noted.
Justice Varma was otherwise due to retire on January 5, 2031, upon attaining the retirement age of 62.
The committee, however, continued its inquiry despite his resignation, as the proceedings had begun while he was still a sitting judge. “When the panel investigates charges, it is considered judicial work. They submitted a report of their work... it is a parallel issue,” explained the domain expert.
Once the report is tabled, Parliament will decide the next course of action, according to the person cited above.
(With inputs from PTI)