Justice Varma Burnt Cash Row: Republic Accesses 126-Page Report; Findings Call Judge’s Explanation ‘Evasive & Unsatisfactory’

The Justice Yashwant Varma inquiry committee has found all three Articles of Charge against the former Delhi High Court judge proved. These include allegations concerning unexplained cash recovered at his official residence, failure to preserve material evidence, and evasive explanations regarding the incident.

Republic has accessed a detailed 126-page report into the burnt cash scandal involving Justice Yashwant Varma. The document examines the discovery of partially burnt currency notes at the judge’s official residence and concludes that his response to the allegations was incomplete, misleading, evasive, and unsatisfactory.

According to the report’s consolidated findings on the articles of charge, Article I stands proved: substantial unexplained ₹500-denomination currency notes were found in the storeroom located within the  judge's official residential premises. The judge, the report states, failed to furnish a satisfactory explanation regarding the presence, source, or ownership of the cash.

The report further holds that material evidence was not properly secured or preserved (Article II proved). The panel noted the absence of any credible explanation from the judge or his side for how the large quantity of notes came to be in the storeroom.

On the question of a possible conspiracy to frame the judge, the report finds no supporting signs. Justice Varma’s written and subsequent replies are characterised in the findings as lacking candour, transparency, and institutional responsibility (Article III proved). Republic’s analysis of the report underscores that the judge’s account did not adequately address the evidence, including eyewitness accounts from fire and police personnel who reported seeing piles of the notes during firefighting operations.

So, Article I, Article II and Article III are proved.
 

Senior Executive Editor Abhishek Kapoor, breaking down the key portions of the 126-page document exclusively accessed by Republic, highlighted these core conclusions: the unexplained presence of the cash in a storeroom under the premises, the failure to provide a satisfactory account, the incomplete and misleading nature of the reply, and the determination that no conspiracy against the judge could be established.

The report forms part of the formal inquiry process into the March 2025 incident at the official residence, where a fire led to the discovery of the burnt currency. Republic’s access to the full document provides one of the most detailed public looks at the panel’s reasoning and specific findings against the judge.