Supreme Court Rejects Petition for SIT Inquiry into Justice Yashwant Varma’s Cash Controversy

The Supreme Court of India has dismissed a petition seeking a Special Investigation Team (SIT) probe into the recovery of unaccounted cash from the residence of former Allahabad High Court judge, Yashwant Varma. The bench, comprising Justices PS Narasimha and Alok Aradhe, deemed the request as an attempt at “cheap publicity”.

The controversy arose from an incident that occurred on March 14, 2025, when emergency services were called to Varma’s official residence in Delhi due to a fire. During their response, authorities allegedly discovered a significant amount of unaccounted cash. At the time of the discovery, Varma was reportedly in Bhopal, where he claimed that the cash did not belong to him or any member of his family.

This scandal led to Varma’s transfer from the Delhi High Court to the Allahabad High Court, and eventually, in April, he resigned from his judicial position. His resignation came shortly after Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju announced that steps were being taken towards his impeachment due to the allegations surrounding the unaccounted money.

The petitioner who brought the case to the Supreme Court argued that Varma should not be exempt from criminal accountability simply because he had resigned. He called for the filing of a First Information Report (FIR) against Varma, stating that previous petitions on similar grounds were dismissed due to a lack of a formal complaint before filing.

Despite these assertions, the Supreme Court bench expressed its unwillingness to entertain the plea, bringing an end to this chapter of the controversy surrounding Justice Yashwant Varma. As the legal and public discourse continues, the implications of this case may resonate within the judiciary and political landscape of India.

Source: scroll.in