Justice Yashwant Varma denies role in fire incident, rejects cash recovery claims

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 occurred and that no cash was recovered from the premises by the fire brigade, as per reports.

According to the reports, Justice Varma stated in his written reply that he had no involvement whatsoever in the incident. He maintained that he was not the first responder at the site and that the responsibility for securing the premises rested with the authorities who arrived initially.

The judge has reportedly denied allegations suggesting that unaccounted cash was found at his residence. He further argued that any failure in securing the site after the fire cannot be attributed to him and should instead be examined in relation to the actions of the first responders.

The response was submitted to the committee on January 12. While the document is not publicly available, sources have confirmed to Bar & Bench that these assertions form part of Justice Varma’s defence against the impeachment proceedings.

The impeachment motion was moved in Parliament following allegations linked to a fire that broke out at Justice Varma’s official residence on March 14, 2025. The incident had reportedly led to claims that firefighters recovered unaccounted cash, triggering allegations of corruption against the judge.

Justice Varma denied the accusations but was subsequently transferred from the Delhi High Court to his parent court, the Allahabad High Court, and was relieved of judicial work pending further action.

Former chief justice of India Sanjiv Khanna had ordered an in-house inquiry into the matter and later asked Justice Varma to either step down or face impeachment proceedings. Justice Varma declined to resign.

In August, the Lok Sabha Speaker admitted a motion brought by Members of Parliament seeking Justice Varma’s removal. Subsequently, a three-member committee was constituted under the Judges (Inquiry) Act to investigate the allegations.

The parliamentary committee is currently examining the charges and the judge’s response as part of the impeachment process.