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CJI seeks Justice Varma’s resignation, he refuses; SC shares inquiry report, judge reply with PM, President

The CJI has now forwarded the report of the three-member inquiry panel of judges, along with the reply from Justice Varma, to President Droupadi Murmu and Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Justice Varma, in his response to Delhi HC CJ, had denied the presence of any money, saying no cash was shown to the staff at his residence.

After a three-member panel found credence in the allegations of cash being found at Justice Yashwant Varma’s residence, Chief Justice of India Sanjiv Khanna is learnt to have sought his resignation. Justice Varma, however, refused.

The CJI has now forwarded the report of the three-member inquiry panel of judges, along with the reply from Justice Varma, to President Droupadi Murmu and Prime Minister Narendra Modi. He is learnt to have recommended to the President to initiate the process to remove Justice Varma. He is learnt to have recommended to the President to initiate the process to remove Justice Varma.

An official release Thursday said that the CJI, “in terms of the In-House Procedure, has written to” both President and PM “enclosing therewith copy of the 3-Member Committee report dated 03.05.2025 along with the letter/response dated 06.05.2025 received from Mr Justice Yashwant Varma.”

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The CJI had set up the committee, comprising Justice Sheel Nagu, Chief Justice of the HC of Punjab & Haryana, Justice G S Sandhawalia, Chief Justice of the HC of Himachal Pradesh, and Justices Anu Sivaraman, Judge of the HC of Karnataka, on March 22, to look into the allegations of cash recovery after a fire broke out at the residence of the former Delhi HC judge.

Justice Varma took oath as a judge of Allahabad HC on April 5.

After the committee submitted its report, CJI Khanna wrote to Justice Varma on May 4, sharing a copy of the report. The CJI is learnt to have prefaced the report with an option for Justice Verma to tender his resignation.

Ananthakrishnan G

Ananthakrishnan G. is a Senior Assistant Editor with The Indian Express. He has been in the field for over 23 years, kicking off his journalism career as a freelancer in the late nineties with bylines in The Hindu. A graduate in law, he practised in the District judiciary in Kerala for about two years before switching to journalism. His first permanent assignment was with The Press Trust of India in Delhi where he was assigned to cover the lower courts and various commissions of inquiry. He reported from the Delhi High Court and the Supreme Court of India during his first stint with The Indian Express in 2005-2006. Currently, in his second stint with The Indian Express, he reports from the Supreme Court and writes on topics related to law and the administration of justice. Legal reporting is his forte though he has extensive experience in political and community reporting too, having spent a decade as Kerala state correspondent, The Times of India and The Telegraph. He is a stickler for facts and has several impactful stories to his credit. ... Read More

Apurva Vishwanath

Apurva Vishwanath is the National Legal Editor of The Indian Express in New Delhi. She graduated with a B.A., LL. B (Hons) from Dr Ram Manohar Lohiya National Law University, Lucknow. She joined the newspaper in 2019 and in her current role, oversees the newspapers coverage of legal issues. She also closely tracks judicial appointments. Prior to her role at the Indian Express, she has worked with ThePrint and Mint. ... Read More

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