Justice Yashwant Varma tells parliamentary panel he was not present during fire, denies recovery of cash

Allahabad High Court Justice Yashwant Varma has told the parliamentary committee examining the impeachment motion against him that he was not present at his official residence when the fire incident took place and that no cash was recovered from the premises by the fire brigade that arrived to douse the fire.

According to sources, Justice Varma in his written reply to the committee has asserted that he had absolutely no role in the incident. He has also stated that he was not the first responder and that the responsibility of securing the scene rested with the authorities who arrived first.

According to the sources, Justice Varma has denied suggestions that any cash was recovered from his residence. He has further contended that any lapse in securing the site after the fire cannot be attributed to him and lies with the first responders.

The reply was filed on January 12. The document is not in the public domain. However, sources aware of the contents of the reply have confirmed to Bar & Bench that these submissions form part of the grounds taken by Justice Varma in response to the impeachment motion.

The impeachment motion against Justice Varma was initiated in parliament following allegations linked to the fire incident at his official residence.

A fire at Justice Varma's house on March 14, 2025 had led to the recovery of unaccounted cash by firefighters and triggered allegations of corruption against the judge.

Justice Varma denied the accusations, but was transferred to his parent High Court of Allahabad from the Delhi High Court, and stripped of judicial work while further action was contemplated.

Chief Justice of India (CJI) Sanjiv Khanna (who has since retired) initiated an in-house probe into the matter, and eventually asked Justice Varma to resign or face impeachment proceedings. Justice Varma declined to quit his office.

In August, the Lok Sabha Speaker initiated the process to remove Justice Varma from his position as a High Court judge, after admitting a motion by Members of Parliament (MPs) to impeach the judge.

The Speaker constituted a three-member committee to probe the incident under the Judges (Inquiry) Act.

After the motion was admitted, a parliamentary committee was constituted to examine the charges and the judge's response.

Meanwhile, the Supreme Court recently reserved its judgment on a petition filed by Justice Varma challenging the constitution of the parliamentary committee.