‘For cheap publicity’: SC junks plea for criminal probe against Justice Varma
The court declined to entertain the plea for registration of an FIR over the alleged recovery of cash from Justice Varma’s official residence in 2025
The Supreme Court has dismissed a plea for a Special Investigation Team (SIT) probe into allegations surrounding burnt currency found at the official residence of former Delhi High Court judge, Yashwant Varma, following a blaze in March 2024. The lawyer, Ghanshyam Upadhyay, argued that the court's decision was an attempt at "cheap publicity."
Upadhyay contended that Justice Varma's resignation in April 2026 would mean he retained criminal liability for the alleged incident. A three-member committee had submitted a fact-finding report to Chief Justice of India Sanjiv Khanna in May 2025, which led to the former judge being asked to resign or face impeachment proceedings.
The report was subsequently sent to the President and Prime Minister by the CJI. Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla established a committee to investigate the allegations in August 2025, but Justice Varma had already resigned before the committee submitted its report.
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