Lagatar24 Desk
New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Wednesday dismissed a plea seeking criminal proceedings against former Delhi High Court judge Justice Yashwant Varma, following the controversial discovery of burnt cash bundles at his residence in March. The court advised the petitioners to first seek redressal from the Prime Minister and the President before approaching the judiciary.
Petition rejected, redress route clarified
A bench comprising Justice Abhay S Oka and Justice Ujjal Bhuyan observed that a report on the matter has already been submitted to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Droupadi Murmu. “Before seeking a writ of mandamus, the petitioner will have to seek redressal by filing representation before appropriate authorities. We decline to entertain this petition,” the court said.
Plea based on in-house inquiry
The petition was filed by advocate Mathews Nedumpara and three others, who demanded immediate criminal investigation against Justice Varma. They cited the Supreme Court’s own in-house committee report, which allegedly found prima facie substance in the allegations. However, the bench said neither the court nor the petitioner had access to the content of that report and advised pursuing representation through constitutional channels.
Repeated plea, same outcome
This was the second such attempt by the same petitioners. In March, they had challenged the in-house inquiry itself and demanded a formal police probe, but the court had declined to interfere then as well, noting that internal judicial proceedings were still ongoing at the time.
Holi night fire sparked controversy
The case came to light on March 14, the night of Holi, when a fire broke out at an outhouse of Justice Varma’s bungalow in central Delhi. Firefighters reportedly discovered charred bundles of cash while dousing the flames, leading to intense public scrutiny and media coverage.
Judiciary’s response and internal probe
While Justice Varma was initially transferred to his parent court, the Allahabad High Court, the Supreme Court later clarified that the transfer was not directly linked to the cash discovery. In an effort to uphold transparency and address public concerns, the court constituted a rare in-house inquiry panel led by the Chief Justices of the Punjab & Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, and Karnataka High Courts. Notably, a report from the Delhi High Court was also made public—an unprecedented move to ensure institutional accountability.
