Lok Sabha Panel Finds Charges Against Justice Varma Proven

A three-member Lok Sabha committee has found all three charges against former Justice Yashwant Varma to be proved, according to a report tabled in Parliament on Wednesday, August 12, 2026.

The charges relate to the discovery of substantial unexplained currency notes at his official residence in New Delhi. The committee stated that Justice Varma's explanations for the presence, source, and ownership of the cash were evasive and unsatisfactory. The report also found that material evidence was not properly preserved after a fire at the residence on March 14, 2025, and that the storeroom where the cash was found was within the judge's institutional control.

Justice Varma resigned from his position as a judge on April 9, 2026, with the committee noting his withdrawal from the inquiry proceedings occurred late. The committee's report rebutted Justice Varma's criticisms of procedural unfairness and the burden of proof, stating that a statutory inquiry cannot depend on the unilateral decision of a judge under inquiry.

The Supreme Court previously dismissed a plea for a Special Investigation Team probe into the case. Legal experts suggest an FIR can now be filed against Justice Varma, and the Centre may move for his impeachment in the Winter Session.