Supreme Court Panel Confirms Cash Haul Misconduct by Justice Yashwant Varma, Recommends Removal; Impeachment Process Underway with Political Consensus

A three-judge Supreme Court-appointed inquiry panel has confirmed misconduct by Allahabad High Court judge Justice Yashwant Varma in relation to a cash haul discovered at his official residence in Delhi. The panel found unaccounted cash, including highly suspicious half-burnt currency notes, in a storeroom accessible to Justice Varma and his family. Multiple witnesses reported seeing large piles of currency notes, but the judge neither filed a police complaint nor informed judicial authorities. The inquiry described the conduct as "unnatural" and recommended Varma's removal from the High Court.

Following the panel's report, the Indian government has initiated the impeachment process against Justice Varma, seeking consensus from all major political parties. Most parties have given in-principle support, and the government is preparing to collect signatures for the impeachment motion, which is expected to proceed within a three-month timeline. Parliamentary panels have also questioned why no FIR was lodged regarding the unaccounted cash. The case has attracted significant judicial and political attention, with the Supreme Court panel emphasizing Varma's implied responsibility and misconduct.